Blackburn Rovers boss Sam Allardyce believes the Premier League's best players face burnout.

Allardyce has accused football's governing bodies of failing to look after the welfare of Premier League players but, with money ruling the game more than ever before, he admits finding time to allow them a rest has become increasingly difficult.

He told the Lancashire Telegraph: "Most of the players who play in the Premier League will be very, very fatigued. There is no doubt about that.

"At the end of the day you had Wayne Rooney saying for the first time he could do with a break at Christmas.

"This is a man who loves to play football no matter how many times you ask him to play but all of a sudden he is saying 'I am feeling tired I am feeling the strain'.

"The amount of pressure he is put in, physically and mentally especially. People have to understand when they are running this game at the top level they have to understand what players are being put through.

"The trouble is the money over-rides the welfare of the player. So until the player accepts to take less then there could be somewhere you could find a break.

"But because the top clubs are striving to find more money to keep the player you are in this vicious circle. You can understand both parties but we wouldn't ask a race horse to do what we ask a top player to do."