Premier League to allow five substitutes

Premier League clubs will be able to make five substitutions each game from next season after shareholders agreed to change the rules

The substitutions can be made on three occasions during a match, plus at half-time, and a total of nine substitutes can be named on the teamsheet, Qazet.az reports.

Five substitutes were introduced across the game in May 2020 after the shutdown caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Clubs then voted against continuing the rule for the compressed 2020-21 season.

The Premier League was the only major competition to abandon the rule because some clubs felt it gave those with bigger squads an unfair advantage.

A number of managers spoke out against the decision, with Liverpool's Jurgen Klopp and Manchester City's Pep Guardiola both saying the it was partly responsible for a spate of muscular injuries across the top flight.

Nothing changed for the 2021-22 season, although five substitutes are allowed in FA Cup matches, and in October football law-makers the International Football Association Board recommended that five substitutions be implemented permanently in the sport.