Dean Smith trying not to cry over cold chamber therapy ban at Aston Villa
Villa have played seven games in 29 days after returning from lockdown.
Aston Villa boss Dean Smith has revealed his players are unable to use cryo chambers due to coronavirus fears.
The 49-year-old is worried his squad cannot have access to the best treatment during the hectic schedule since returning from lockdown.
Villa have played seven games in 29 days after the Premier League resumed last month.
They go to Everton on Thursday before hosting Arsenal on Tuesday and ending the season at West Ham on July 26.
But with concerns coronavirus could spread, Villa’s pleas to be able to use cryo chambers have been turned down.
“Unfortunately we’re not allowed a cryo chamber, it’s something I certainly pushed for,” said Smith.
“The risk during this pandemic of an aerosol being used with the virus is not allowed. I’ve kept pushing it because no one has proven to me a virus can be spread in a single-occupancy cryo unit at minus 130 degrees but there’s still that risk there so we’re not allowed to use it.
“We asked the Premier League and then they asked Public Health England and I believe that it’s just been too much of a risk, or they feel it’s too much of a risk.
“Medically they obviously know more than I do but it’s a single occupancy thing with a temperature of minus 130 degrees and then they wear a mask, gloves and then go and have a shower but it’s not allowed at the moment.
“It’s been a concern of mine certainly for all clubs that are playing now. We are in the hottest months to play football in.
“We are normally a winter league from August to May and now it’s arguably the warmest part of the year and we are playing an awful lot of games in this period.
“There have been a lot of injuries, certainly a lot of soft-tissue injuries for a lot of players at a lot of clubs. It will certainly affect the start of next season, that’s for sure.”
Villa are second bottom in the Premier League and four points from safety with two of their main relegation rivals, West Ham and Watford, playing each other on Friday.
Smith added: “We are playing against quality squad and Everton will be spoiling from the result against Wolves and looking at injury news it looks like Andre Gomes is coming back who cost more than our record signing at Villa.
“It just shows the quality you are coming up against and the quality well-established teams like Everton have. We have to go and perform, work harder than them and make sure that our quality counts as well.”
