Sporting boss is concerned for his ‘Warrior’
Johnny Russell has been described as a “warrior” by Sporting Kansas City manager, Peter Vermes, after playing 65 competitive matches without a break.
The attacking midfielder collected his ninth Scotland cap as a substitute in last Saturday’s Nations League success over Albania.
He was then watching on from the bench three days later as Alex Mcleish’s side clinched a group win with victory over Israel.
The former Dundee United player has been a huge success in the MLS, having scored 10 goals and contributing with a further nine assists from 30 league matches ahead of today’s crucial play-off semi-final at Portland Timbers. However, Vermes fears that the 30-year-old playmaker does not have much left in the tank, having not had a proper rest from football since the summer of 2017.
Russell joined from Derby County just weeks ahead of the new MLS campaign at the turn of the year, and Vermes admitted: “I’ve been concerned with regards to Johnny for a long time, and he knows that. “I have to find a way to manage him over the course of our season because if Scotland call him back, at the end of the day, they’re just looking at it that if they need a guy to play in a game, he’s going to play.
”It does not matter what he comes to us like, and I don’t mean that in a bad way. That’s just the way national teams operate.
“The onus has been more on us, and we’ve tried to be really smart.
“There are times I haven’t started him, or brought him on and that’s because I’m trying to manage him and avoid injury, if possible.
“He’s handles it fantastically. He’s a warrior, he really is.
“He is a tough guy, physically and also mentally, and many a time he has said: ‘I’m good, I can play’.
“I appreciate that, but I always have to do what’s right over the long-term.
“It’s always a lot of stress on a guy, and I think you have to be careful when players are playing international soccer.”