The break footballers had to observe during the coronavirus pandemic may actually be beneficial to ageing stars, claims former Chelsea winger Pat Nevin.
It might enable Willian Borges da Silva’s likes to extend their playing careers with a welcome rest period.
“This was the type of break that a professional athlete almost really gets after a long-term injury. At the time when we are surrounded by the awful news of COVID-19’s terrible consequences for so many people, this break might in some ways prove to be a great help to some players’ fitness and health in the long term,” Nevin told the official website of Chelsea. “I look at someone like Willian and think a prolonged break made him better. It may even prolong his career.”
Nevin believes the 31-year-old has already been willing to maintain his results to match existing expectations longer than initially expected:
“We always used to say five or six weeks was about the minimum to get back after a big summer break, but in reality, this rarely happens with many of the players now.
“With World Cups, Euros, Copa America and so on, how much do you get off this entire summer now?”
