The shin is bigger than the pad

Every parent of a young footballer will understand the following checklist: Boots, shin pads, drink….and sometimes sun cream. Boots are a given, so is the drink, but the shin pad seems to have slipped down the pecking order, or the leg, to be precise.

Jack Grealish started this weird trend of wearing mini shin pads and, as a highly influential international player, youngsters have followed.

The problem is these mini shin pads, obviously, don’t protect as much of the leg as their bigger cousins. It is a trend that has seen some clubs and organisations ban the mini shin pad. The name is on the tin, it is a shin pad, not an ankle pad, but the powers-that-be are staying out of the debate.

The International Football Association Board (IFAB) said players - or the parents or guardians of youth players - must take responsibility for their own safety on the pitch.

"Players' legs are all different sizes and there are so many different materials," a spokesman said. "Ifab's view is that this is the responsibility of the individual player and not the referee. Where young players are concerned, that responsibility [should be taken by the coach, parents or guardians]."