Former Blackburn Rovers striker Chris Sutton has publicly criticised Tottenham Hotspur manager Nuno Espirito Santo after the Portuguese coach admitted he does not keep tabs on how often his Spurs stars head the ball in training.
Debate around the safety of persistently heading the ball has been rife after a number of ex-pros have been diagnosed with dementia in their later life which in turn has led to professional clubs being advised to limit the amount of times their players train for 'high force headers'.
A high force header is defined as those following a long pass of more than 35 metres or from crosses, corners and free-kicks.
Nuno has insisted that heading the ball remains a crucial part of the game and as a result has not been monitoring how often his players train high force headers.
When asked if the new recommendations have altered his training sessions in any way, he responded: "Good question. That's why we have training sessions without nobody seeing us.
"I agree [with the limits]. I'm concerned with the situation of dementia and what heading the ball can cause.
"It's a big concern for us but it's part of the game. Honestly I will not lie to you. I don't count how many times our players head the ball. Maybe I will get myself in trouble for this, but football is jumping, heading, it's part of the game."
Sutton quickly condemned Nuno's comments, taking to Twitter to write: "This is really disappointing and dangerous. Maybe it would be good if Nuno visited former players suffering from Dementia in the latter stages of their condition. It may change his and Spurs thinking."
Were Nuno's comments dangerous? Have your say here.
The exchange occurred before Sunday's North London derby defeat away at Arsenal, the result of which has cranked up the pressure on Santo's job just six Premier League games into his tenure.
Spurs have now lost three league games in a row - all to London rivals, conceding nine goals in the process to Crystal Palace, Chelsea and Arsenal respectively.
Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville lambasted Spurs' tactical approach to the contest, claiming: "Arsenal had a far better application to the game, but Tottenham's game plan looked really basic.
"It looked like they just wanted to knock it forward at any cost, and they were playing aimless balls forward. Spurs' courage to play, their appetite to win the ball back and get forward was completely different from what it was against Chelsea last week, and Arsenal ran all over them. It was a really poor first half."
