CLAIMS that Raheem Sterling was left on the bench for England against Estonia due to fatigue have once again raised the question of a winter break.

For many years there have been calls for football to stop for an unspecified time around January in order for players to recharge their batteries.

The idea being that Premier League stars will not be burnt out by both the time the season reaches its climax and any subsequent summer international tournaments.

Germany’s World Cup triumph only heightened the clamour because the Bundesliga is one of the European leagues that does take a break.

Perhaps we should have one here. If for no other reason than when England fail to win Euro 2016 or the World Cup two years later after having had a fortnight off in January, we’ll have to find a new excuse.

But it’s not as simple as just shutting the Premier League down for a couple of weeks. Any decision could have a profound effect on the rest of the English pyramid.

Presumably, Premier League teams would still play FA Cup and League Cup matches during the enforced holiday? If not, those fixtures would have to be shifted to avoid lower-ranked teams getting a round ahead.

Would a break be limited to just the Premier League or would the Football League be included? To answer that, we need to know if it is purely to benefit the English national team.

Even if that was the idea, there are plenty of teams beyond the top flight who have other nationalities in their squads who could indirectly benefit.

Would a break be applied at every level, including Worcester City and the Worcester Sunday League?

That is unlikely, because the unpredictable English weather could mean you break for two weeks and then lose more games upon the return due to frozen pitches.

Whatever is decided, these are questions worth addressing.