|
|
Aston Villa manager Alex McLeish: Gabriel Agbonlahor should look to yoga to avoid injury
The Aston Villa manager has urged his injury-prone striker to explore new methods of staying fit citing Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs as an example
9 Feb 2012 09:18:00
By James McManus
Getty Images
Aston Villa boss Alex McLeish has urged Gabriel Agbonlahor to consider the benefits of practising yoga, citing evergreen Manchester United midfielder Ryan Giggs as an example.
The England striker is well known for his electric pace but has suffered series of niggling injuries in the past, something which his manager McLeish believes he could eliminate with the aid of yoga.
"There are one or two players who do the yoga here,” said McLeish.
“I don’t know if he will take that on board as well. It is something we will be talking about with the doctor and the fitness coach, whether he is going to embark on the yoga as well.
“Towards the end of my playing days it was starting to filter in. There were all sorts of different tools starting to come into the game. Now players have virtually everything.”
McLeish singled out Giggs as a prime example of a player who has adapted to using yoga in an attempt to cut out a series of stresses and strains that had started to blight his game.
He continued: "I think they only need to look at the Ryan Giggs example,”
“If you are embarrassed about it or not sure and then you see a figurehead like Giggs doing it. I’m sure that has inspired a lot of young players.
“Gabby is an athlete, built for speed, and these are injuries that happen. I think if you look at Giggs flying down the wings in his young days he had a lot of hamstring problems.
“I remember reading quotes that he had to modify his game as he got older, which he has done superbly.
“He is still going, he’s been superb, he also worked with a yoga teacher. That helped him in his preventative measures in terms of injury. He had to modify his action."
The under-fire Villa manager is keen for Agbonlahor to utilise his pace to full effect still, though, and sees the discipline as merely a preventative measure rather than a cure.
He added: “That’s not applicable to Gabby yet. He still has the speed to burn, not modify yet, but he will have to do some preventative work
"It’s just getting Gabby on a programme and hoping we can prevent injuries and keep him fit as long as we can because he was a boy in great form at the beginning of the season."
|
Sign up with 188BET for a FREE bet up to £25 – Great Prices, Every Game |
|
Open an account with Sportingbet today and get up to £50 in free bets! |
|
Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25 |
|
Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200 |
|
Sign up with Paddy Power - Bet £10, Get £20! |
The England striker is well known for his electric pace but has suffered series of niggling injuries in the past, something which his manager McLeish believes he could eliminate with the aid of yoga.
"There are one or two players who do the yoga here,” said McLeish.
“I don’t know if he will take that on board as well. It is something we will be talking about with the doctor and the fitness coach, whether he is going to embark on the yoga as well.
“Towards the end of my playing days it was starting to filter in. There were all sorts of different tools starting to come into the game. Now players have virtually everything.”
McLeish singled out Giggs as a prime example of a player who has adapted to using yoga in an attempt to cut out a series of stresses and strains that had started to blight his game.
He continued: "I think they only need to look at the Ryan Giggs example,”
“If you are embarrassed about it or not sure and then you see a figurehead like Giggs doing it. I’m sure that has inspired a lot of young players.
“Gabby is an athlete, built for speed, and these are injuries that happen. I think if you look at Giggs flying down the wings in his young days he had a lot of hamstring problems.
“I remember reading quotes that he had to modify his game as he got older, which he has done superbly.
“He is still going, he’s been superb, he also worked with a yoga teacher. That helped him in his preventative measures in terms of injury. He had to modify his action."
The under-fire Villa manager is keen for Agbonlahor to utilise his pace to full effect still, though, and sees the discipline as merely a preventative measure rather than a cure.
He added: “That’s not applicable to Gabby yet. He still has the speed to burn, not modify yet, but he will have to do some preventative work
"It’s just getting Gabby on a programme and hoping we can prevent injuries and keep him fit as long as we can because he was a boy in great form at the beginning of the season."
How do you stay up to date with football when on the move? With http://m.goal.com – your best source for mobile coverage of the beautiful game.
| Sign up with 188BET for a FREE bet up to £25 – Great Prices, Every Game |
|
| Open an account with Sportingbet today and get up to £50 in free bets! |
|
| Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25 |
|
| Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200 |
|
| Sign up with Paddy Power - Bet £10, Get £20! |
|
Inside Goal.Com
-
Welbeck convinces Hodgson he is the man to lead the line
England beat Norway 1-0 at Wembley, with the Manchester United man hitting an impressive winner to stake his claim for a starting spot at Euro 2012
-
How England player's chances were affected by Belgium victory
Ashley Young all but secured his place in the starting line-up against France while captain Steven Gerrard put a good shift in. Joe Hart, however, needs to remain focused
-
Poll: Who should have replaced Cahill in the England squad?
Martin Kelly has replaced Cahill in the Three Lions squad going to Poland and Ukraine, but would Rio Ferdinand or Micah Richards have been more deserving?
-
Cartoon: Terry & Cahill add to England's injury concerns
Goal.com cartoonist Omar Momani gives us his unique take on the football news of the day...
-
In Pictures: The best and worst kits at Euro 2012
The European Championship is just around the corner and Goal.com distinguishes between the trendy and the passe at the prestigious tournament
