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Dean Smith frustrated Aston Villa cannot use cryo chambers

Dean Smith frustrated Aston Villa cannot use cryo chambers
© Reuters
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."

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Tables
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
CLiverpool37313382325096
2Manchester CityMan City37253997356278
3Manchester UnitedMan Utd371712864362863
4Chelsea371961267541363
5Leicester CityLeicester371881167392862
6Wolverhampton WanderersWolves371514851381359
7Tottenham HotspurSpurs3716101160461458
8Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd371412113836254
9Burnley37159134248-654
10Arsenal371314105346753
11Everton371310144353-1049
12Southampton37147164859-1149
13Newcastle UnitedNewcastle371111153755-1844
14Crystal Palace37119173049-1942
15West Ham UnitedWest Ham37108194861-1338
16Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton37814153753-1638
17Aston Villa3797214066-2634
18Watford37810193461-2734
19Bournemouth3787223764-2731
RNorwich CityNorwich3756262670-4421

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