Premier League's punishing schedule is causing more muscle injuries this season, and it will get worse.

The 2020- 21 Premier League season isjust over two months old. For those players expecting to play for their countries at the delayed Euro 2020 or Copa America next summer, there are another eight months of football across multiple competitions to get through before "the end" in mid-July. In June, ESPN spoke to sports scientist Dr. Tom Little about the challenges that faced the top players this season. He warned of an "incredibly difficult" year ahead, both mentally and physically, due to the increased workload caused by a fixture list truncated by the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Dr.

Little's forecast has proved worryingly correct, and he can only see more problems ahead. "It's a difficult time, but what do you do?" said Dr. Little, who has worked with...