Tottenham defender Sebastian Bassong has warned fellow pros against the use of pain killing injections.
Bassong specifically highlighted Chelsea captain John Terry's reliance on injections, which ensured his influential presence on the pitch for both club and country.
Bassong said: "If you get injured, take your time. If you look around, you see all these players getting injections in their knees and their backs for a whole season.
"It only masks the injury. When the effects wear off, any player can tell you how much worse it feels. I'm 24 and I feel like I'm 35 already. You have to look after your body because if it breaks down on you, you will just be replaced at this level.
"John Terry would play with a pain-killing injections every day and then he got to the point where he couldn't do it anymore.
"It can only get harder the longer you carry on like that.
"In France, the older players seem to be in better condition because the competition is less demanding, but also because they allow the players to naturally recover more. I look at a lot of the English players and they have a lot of problems.
"People like Jermain Defoe and Aaron Lennon are young, but have played a lot of football for their age.
"This league is not easy and patching people up to play so many games when they are 18 can leave them with a feeling like they only have a few years left when they are 26.
"The earlier you start taking care of your body, the longer your career will be. Look at William Gallas.
"He has played in England for a long time, but he takes a lot of care to monitor his body, which is why he is playing so well now."
