FIFA president Gianni Infantino has promised to make player welfare concerns a top priority as the world governing body attempts to reshape the international football calendar.
Infantino was in Manchester on Thursday after accepting an invitation from the Professional Footballers' Association to meet leading players and union representatives.
Concern has been raised about the demands on players at the top level in terms of volume of games and travel requirements, with FIFA's proposals for a biennial World Cup having increased anxiety.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino insists that player welfare concerns are a top priority
Attendees at the meeting also included Manchester United's Paul Pogba and Juan Mata, Lucy Bronze and Steph Houghton of Manchester City, PFA chief executive Maheta Molango and FIFA chief of global football development Arsene Wenger.
Infantino said the World Cup proposals were discussed but these were not the 'main topic' of the meeting as focus was given to the calendar in more general terms.
'It was really a great meeting,' said Infantino. 'I was very happy that the players reached out to us, to me in particular, because we want really to listen to everyone.
'The players are crucial when it comes to the game. Of course, we need to care about the players, we want to protect the players and, in order to know really what their concerns are, we need to talk to them directly.
'At the end of the day what we want for men's and women's football is that the players can perform at their best, not only in one competition but in all the competitions they have to play.
FIFA are attempting to reshape the international football calendar, along with the World Cup
