 Manchester United defender Raphael Varane has added his voice to the criticism of English football's new approach to stoppage time and fears the rule changes could harm players. Manchester United news, exclusives and analysis Sign up Privacy Policy From this season onwards, referees in the Premier League and EFL will adopt a more stringent, Qatar World Cup-style approach to added time, with the clock stopped for all goal celebrations, substitutions, injuries, penalties and red cards. That saw enormous amounts of stoppage time in Qatar and that trend has continued in the EFL, with 33 of 35 matches on the opening weekend lasting longer than 100 minutes. Sunday's Community Shield between Arsenal and Manchester City followed a similar pattern, with eight minutes of added time at the end of the second half – though this extended until the 103rd minute due to a clash of heads. The average ball-in-play time in matches has already increased dramatically – which was part of the motivation for changing the rules – but Varane believes the welfare of players has been overlooked. 'We had a meeting last week with the FA. They recommended from the referees new decisions and rules,' wrote Varane – who retired from international duty citing players' increased workloads as a reason – on social media. 'From the managers and players, we have shared our concerns for many years now that there are too many games, the schedule is overcrowded, and it's at a dangerous level for players' physical and mental well-being. Sunday's Community Shield continued into the 103rd minute (Picture: Getty) 'Despite our previous feedbacks, they have now recommended for next season: longer games, more intensity, and less emotions to be shown by players. 'We just want to be in good condition on the pitch to give 100% to our club and fans. Why are our opinions not being heard? 'As a player I feel very privileged to do){kind=link}
NEWS… BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT
Manchester United defender Raphael Varane has added his voice to the criticism of English football’s new approach to stoppage time and fears the rule changes could harm players.
Manchester United news, exclusives and analysis
From this season onwards, referees in the Premier League and EFL will adopt a more stringent, Qatar World Cup-style approach to added time, with the clock stopped for all goal celebrations, substitutions, injuries, penalties and red cards.
That saw enormous amounts of stoppage time in Qatar and that trend has continued in the EFL, with 33 of 35 matches on the opening weekend lasting longer than 100 minutes.