Revealed: Harry Kane one of six England players to spend over half the season in ‘critical zone’

A series of key England players, including captain Harry Kane, have spent at least half of this campaign playing in the dangerous “critical zone”, at risk to their health and career longevity, it can be revealed. 

Analysis by Telegraph Sport shows that Kane is one of six players in Gareth Southgate’s current squad who have played 50 per cent or more of their matches in the “critical zone” this season.

A player is considered to be playing in the “critical zone” if he has made two appearances of at least 45 minutes without a break of at least five days between those fixtures. 

Fifpro, the global players’ union, has warned that cumulative exposure to these back-to-back matches can have a detrimental effect on a player’s health, performance and career longevity.

It comes amid rising unrest within the game over the congested fixture schedule, with a number of leading stars and managers criticising the timing of the current set of Nations League fixtures. 

Louis van Gaal, the Holland manager, said this week that it is “ridiculous” for his team to be playing four games in 11 days after the end of the domestic season, while Kane himself has said his upcoming three-week break is not enough to fully recover ahead of the new campaign. 

Kane has made 60 appearances for club and country this season, with 33 of those games counting as matches played in the “critical zone”, according to the Telegraph’s analysis.

Trent Alexander-Arnold, Harry Maguire, Jude Bellingham, Declan Rice and Tammy Abraham have also all spent at least half of this season in the “critical zone”.

Abraham, who has so far made 57 appearances in all competitions this season, has played the highest number of games in the “critical zone”, with 37. Such a workload is a