The 2026 World Cup may be drawing to a close this Sunday, but for Premier League clubs, it's far from the finish line. As they count down the final days until kick-off, many are left reeling from the World Cup workload that has taken its toll on their squads.
Manchester City are the biggest casualties of all, with a staggering 5,027 minutes logged by their players – the highest tally in the Premier League. Rodri's impressive showing for Spain is just one part of the jigsaw puzzle, having played an eye-watering 537 minutes, while centre-back Marc Guehi added 483 minutes to the City faithful's collective worries. Nico O'Reilly's contribution of 454 minutes isn't too shabby either – and that's before Elliot Anderson joined the fray with a further 533 minutes for England!
Arsenal are hot on Manchester City's heels, their players collectively clocking up an impressive 4,285 minutes. William Saliba's 450-minute outing for France has been matched by Declan Rice's 386 minutes for England, Noni Madueke's 288, Bukayo Saka's 267, Mikel Merino's 136, and Eberechi Eze's 130 – a veritable injury waiting time bomb!
The World Cup's frenetic schedule has left its mark on several other Premier League clubs too. Aston Villa's Amadou Onana suffered a ruptured ACL in Belgium's 4-1 drubbing of the USA, sending shockwaves through the club. Manchester United's Manuel Ugarte was forced to call it quits due to a knee problem sustained during Uruguay's group stage clash. Even Jordan Henderson managed to break his arm celebrating England's win over Mexico – but has remained with the squad, remarkably!
The injury list just keeps growing, with Andy Robertson taken out against Brazil with a suspected right ankle injury and Reece James nursing a hamstring strain throughout the tournament. No wonder Mikel Arteta and new Manchester City boss Enzo Maresca are voicing concerns about player welfare – with Maresca previously stating that the industry needs to do more to protect its stars.