Sunderland boss Mick McCarthy has promised to wrap his walked wounded in cotton wool rather than risk them in a vain attempt to secure Barclaycard Premiership safety.
McCarthy's slim chances of keeping the Black Cats in the top flight have receded further with successive defeats by Bolton and West Ham in his two games in charge, and he is already looking to the future.
Although he is refusing to let a desperate season fizzle out without a fight, he does not want players to put themselves on the line if they are not fully fit.
The former Republic of Ireland manager said: "We're trying to get a clean bill of health for the end of the season.
"I want the players to work hard for me, but I don't want to beat them up and I don't want to rush people back in desperation. There's no point.
"I don't want to get to the end of the season and have players injured. It will benefit them for next season if they can go away healthy and have a rest in the summer, rather than still be here for an extra couple of weeks having treatment," he said.
"If people don't get the rest they need, then whichever league we're in, wherever we're playing, we could end up paying for it next season. "I want everyone fit and ready to go when we come back for pre-season".
Midfielder Matt Piper is a case in point after returning to the treatment room with a recurrence of the groin injury which has hampered him for much of his time at the Stadium of Light.
The 21-year-old, who move to Wearside from Leicester for £3.5 million sterling during the summer, has missed three months of the campaign after undergoing surgery on a hernia and has made only 14 appearances in a red and white shirt to date.
Sunderland resume their campaign with the visit of Chelsea to the Stadium of Light next Saturday, and then face West Brom, Newcastle and Arsenal at home and Birmingham, Manchester City and Aston Villa on the road.