'F****ng hell' - Premier League scoring king Alan Shearer says Virgil van Dijk's claims of 'playing too much' football are 'nonsense'

• Van Dijk unhappy with amount of fixtures
• Shearer hits back in rant
• Striker says claims are "nonsense"

WHAT HAPPENED? Van Dijk is currently on international duty with the Netherlands where he has expressed his concern about the number of fixtures being played in elite football. The Dutchman has said players "should start staying something" about the increased demands as he fears a congested schedule poses health risks. Shearer has now responded to the Liverpool defender on his podcast 'The Rest is Football' and thinks modern-day footballers have never had it so good.

WHAT THEY SAID: "Nonsense. Nonsense. Players are playing too much football? What? I mean come on. I know you should never mention the money, but you've got bigger squads than ever, more substitutes than ever, getting paid more money than ever, you've got the best physios, the best technology, the best of everything," he said. "Do me a favour, playing too much football? F***ing hell. Didn't he say it was England that play too much football? International football I get and understand. We all know why they're doing it, they're doing it for financial reasons. But here in England, you can tell I don't really agree with that."

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Van Dijk is not the first player to speak out about the amount of games being played. Manchester United defender Raphael Varane has hit out at what he says is an "overcrowded schedule" that is "at a dangerous level for players' physical and mental well-being." Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has also regularly criticised the Premier League's fixture scheduling.

IN THREE PHOTOS:

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WHAT NEXT? Van Dijk was named in the starting XI for the Netherlands' Euro 2024 on Tuesday. He'll then return to Liverpool to prepare for a Premier League clash with Everton on Saturday lunchtime.