THE increasing demands being placed on leading players by both club and country has long been a source of grave concern for managers and supporters.

But when the new football season gets underway before the old season has even finished then isn't it time for the game’s administrators to seriously consider just what is being asked of our top professionals and act?

The meeting between hosts France and Portugal in the Stade de France in Paris last night brought an end to the Euro 2016 finals and to the 2015/16 campaign. Time, you would think, for a well-earned holiday in the sun for all of those who have been involved in the past month.

Yet, for many of them the 2016/17 term had already kicked off. The first legs of the first qualifying round of the Europa League, a stage which involved both Aberdeen and Hearts, were played 12 days previously.

Niall McGinn was in the starting line-up for the meeting with Fola Esch of Luxembourg at Pittodrie just five days after featuring for Northern Ireland in their last 16 meeting with Wales in the Parc de Princes.

The 28-year-old showed no visible signs of fatigue despite playing in 53 games in 12 months – his season had started 363 days earlier with a Europa League qualifier against Shkendija in Macedonia - without a break. Indeed, he netted in the third minute of injury-time – a goal that ultimately helped ensure Aberdeen progressed with a 3-2 aggregate triumph.

McGinn, who enjoyed a fine European Championships and scored in a 2-0 win over Ukraine, was rested for the away leg and has now been given some much-needed time off by his manager Derek McInnes.

McInnes, to his credit, has publicly acknowledged that he will have to be careful with his charge, who has played for three straight seasons with little if any respite, in the months to come and will be unable to exhort as much from him as he has previously.

Not every individual’s manager, though, will be as understanding. When jobs are at stake and huge sums of money hinge on success, in Europe in particular, the temptation is to throw them in regardless of how much they have featured. Ultimately, it is the player who suffers.

Scott Brown has selflessly declared himself fit to play for both Celtic and Scotland despite not being fully fit in recent seasons. But his commendable willingness to do so has resulted in some hugely disappointing and costly personal displays.

He was woeful for Scotland in the catastrophic 1-0 defeat to Georgia in a Euro 2016 qualifier in Tbilisi last September. He was anonymous for Celtic in the Scottish Cup semi-final defeat to Rangers at Hampden in April too.

Brown was excused from Celtic’s final league games last term and from the end-of-season Scotland friendlies with both Italy and France to allow his body to recuperate. He has just enjoyed his longest rest from football in a decade.

It is to be hoped, with the national team’s World Cup qualifying campaign getting underway with a game against Malta away in September, that he benefits from such a lengthy sabbatical and rediscovers his best form.

But few will be as fortunate. Take Real Madrid team mates Gareth Bale, who led Wales to the Euro 2016 semi-finals, and Cristiano Ronaldo, who went one stage further with Portugal. Both are supremely fit individuals. However, having played in the Champions League final at the end of May, the number of intense competitive fixtures they have been involved in has been great.

La Liga only resumes towards the end of next month. Bale and Ronaldo should, lucky things, both get a full fortnight off before they return to the Ciudad Real Madrid for pre-season training. But how long can they continue to compete as effectively with such a punishing programme?

Kenny Dalglish expressed his worries about the deteriorating condition of the Liverpool and Spain striker Fernando Torres the in his book My Liverpool Home back in 2010.

“Fernando has been overworked,” he wrote. “His summers have been filled up. Those constant demands have definitely taken their toll. All that relentless football caught up with him. His unforgiving schedule suggest his problems will continue. I fear for him.”

His words proved prophetic. Torres won the FA Cup, Europa League and Champions League after his £50 million move to Chelsea the following year. He also helped Spain to win Euro 2012. But he never again scaled the heights which he had at Anfield. In fact, he was often a shadow of his former self. His is a cautionary tale.

Failure to acknowledge that an ever-expanding fixture list is putting unrealistic mental and physical demands on players and make changes will result in more cases of burnout in future.