Sam Allardyce is ready to rest his big foreign stars to save them from burn out.

The Irons boss will restrict their playing time as the season continues because the likes of Cheikhou Kouyate, Enner Valencia, Diafra Sakho and Diafra Sakho are used to a winter break..

He said; “I have a much better squad in strength and depth but that squad has to be fitter than it is now. Some new players won’t have hit the cauldron of physical and mental output because all of them generally have a break around Christmas.

“If they fatigue and they need a rest, the rest of the squad has to be fit. If we leave them out we leave them out.”