Man United mystery as physio exits after season of injuries

There is intrigue at Old Trafford after first-team physio Matt Radcliffe left the club, just eight months after being drafted in to deal with Manchester United's injury crisis.

He arrived from Southampton last autumn following the retirement of Rob Swire, United's head physiotherapist, after 20 years at the club.

However, he has now left his post, with United "refusing to offer a reason for his exit". The Times says it "understands that Radcliffe was not forced out but that he had sought legal advice and that there were personal reasons behind his departure".

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

The paper notes that the entire medical staff came "under pressure" last season with Louis van Gaal "routinely voicing his dismay at the club's embarrassing plethora of injury problems".

When Radcliffe joined in October, United had nine players on the treatment table, notes the Daily Mirror, and his appointment was "supposed to signal an end to the injury crisis that blighted Van Gaal's first season in charge".

However, United were dogged by injuries "right up until the end of the season", adds the paper. "Van Gaal was left stunned by the frequency with which he was without players because of physical ailments throughout the season, branding the situation the worst he had known in 30 years of management."

United's medical resources have been left stretched even further by Radcliffe's "mysterious departure", says the Daily Mail, which describes him as "one of the most respected physios in the game".

Radcliffe's role was as "as injury prevention specialist", says ESPN, and despite his short stint at Old Trafford his reputation is intact. "Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino is already being linked with a move to add Radcliffe to his medical staff at Spurs, after the duo enjoyed a successful working relationship in their time together at Southampton," says the website.