Diet to avoid injury not all it’s cracked up to be

FOOTBALLERS who turned vegan to stop injuries are still picking up knocks.

Manchester City stars Sergio Aguero and Fabian Delph stick to diets free from meat, fish and dairy.

And Man Utd and England defender Chris Smalling is also an advocate after being persuaded to do it by his model wife Sam Cooke.

Arsenal ace Hector Bellerin,

West Ham’s Jack Wilshere and Rangers striker Jermain

Defoe also swear by it.

But the six players’ injury records have not improved.

Argentine hitman Aguero,

30, suffered seven injuries, missing 25 games in the two seasons before ditching meat in August 2014. But since then he has still had eight spells on the sidelines, failing to play in 36 matches.

Team-mate and England star Fabian Delph, 29, went vegan in August 2016.

Five injuries in two years forced him out of 34 games for City and his former club Aston Villa.

But despite his supposed healthier diet he has been crocked four times since, missing 35 games.

Smalling, 29, spoke out about the benefits in August last year after a run of eight injuries in five seasons. But within four months he had yet another spell out for 35 days with a foot injury. Full-back Bellerin turned to veganism in 2017 after injuries forced him out of 11 games since 2015.

The 23-year-old was a everpresent the following season but his latest KO blow – a ruptured cruciate ligament – will see him miss the rest of the season.

West Ham’s Wilshire, 27, opted for a plant-based diet after a torrid injury record. However, after moving to West Ham last July two niggles have forced him to sit out 24 games. Defoe, 36, also chose an animal product-free diet in April 2017, despite keeping off the treatment table for the past three seasons. He sustained a fractured ankle in December of that year. Dr Sarah Schenker, a sports dietitian, said: “It’s very difficult to consume the amount of good quality protein that you need from a vegan diet.”

DAILY STAR SUNDAY SAYS – PAGE 6