Rodri: Will the players actually go on strike and can they do so legally?

Southampton coach Russell Martin said he “didn’t think” his players would be interested in going on strike after promotion to the Premier League.

He said: “We’ve played 38 out of 50 games and a few cup games, so I think our boys will be delighted.”

But he added: “I think something will give way at some point. I think the quality will be diluted at the highest level.

“The top players… you’ll see less of them because of injuries, so I think he (Rodri) is right and I think it’s something to consider – the good of the guys playing in internationals and the Champions League.”

Ross Meadows, head of employment law at Oury Clark, said: “In practice I think it will be a last resort if it is coordinated through the Professional Footballers’ Association or Fifpro because for a strike to be legal there are significant legal hurdles to overcome, including a referendum of all members and notification to Premier League clubs.

“The PFA, for example, has tended to resolve disputes through negotiation rather than strikes. Historically, players have avoided strikes in favour of collective bargaining and union pressure.”

Former England and Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart He told BBC Radio 5 Live that Rodri and Alisson “just spoke from the heart”.

“Two players who are going to speak honestly,” he said. “They’re not rash guys, they’re not guys who sensationalize everything. I’m sure they were just answering questions.

“Rodri in particular was asked if they were close to a strike. I don’t think it was at the forefront of his mind that ‘you know what we’re doing… this is actually the plan’.

“It just says that at some point they’re going to have to stand up for themselves because it’s very much football.”