Brain injury charity Headway has welcomed a request from the Premier League to trial temporary concussion substitutes next season.

A joint application from the Premier League, Major League Soccer and Ligue 1 has been launched through the world players’ union, FIFPRO, and the World Leagues Forum to the game’s law-making body, the International Football Association Board (IFAB).

Medics at all 20 Premier League clubs have been consulted during the past four to six weeks over the current concussion protocols in place in the top flight, where a head injury assessment is carried out on the pitch and a permanent concussion substitution used if required.

Headway has consistently criticised football’s concussion protocols and was scathing about how some head injuries were handled at the recent World Cup in Qatar but welcomed the efforts of the leagues and unions to introduce change.