The welfare of elite football players is the talk of the game and can be a highly controversial topic.
Chelsea won the Club World Cup in New Jersey on Sunday in the knowledge that they would then have three full weeks off, to the extent that the golden gyroscope won’t be welcomed to London with a celebratory parade.
The Blues’ 2024-25 season lasted for more than a year including last summer’s pre-season work and the viability of the Club World Cup will hinge in part on clubs’ willingness to cash in on their players’ wellbeing in an increasingly intense schedule.
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Former player sues Manchester United
But every club’s responsibility to its players also has to do with the handling of day-to-day fitness and routine injuries, and a former Manchester United defender is taking legal action against the club over the management of his injuries.
“Axel Tuanzebe is suing his former club Manchester United for alleged negligent medical advice received during his time at Old Trafford,” reports The Independent.
“Tuanzebe, who left United in the summer of 2023, filed a legal claim with the High Court last week in relation to a period from July 2022 involving an injury he had at the time.”
The defender joined Ipswich Town in the autumn of 2023 and started 20 matches in their ill-fated 2024-25 Premier League season. He joined newly promoted Burnley last month to secure his top-flight status.
Formerly an England Under-21 international and now capped by DR Congo, Tuanzebe’s promotion from the Championship in 2023-24 was the second of his career after achieving the first on loan with Aston Villa in 2018-19.
Tuanzebe joined United’s ranks as far back as 2006 but played just 19 times for them in the Premier League, being sent out on loan a total of five times before heading for Ipswich two years ago.
Now 27, Tuanzebe suffered a number of injury issues at United and went on to endure further problems as an Ipswich player.
“It is considered a high-value claim, which is understood to be more than £1m,” continues The Independent.
According to Sky Sports, the clinical negligence lawsuit was filed on Wednesday, July 9 but the specific nature of the claim is not publicly known.
Transfermarkt data indicates that Tuanzebe has missed a total of 129 matches through injury in his career including three spells on the sidelines of 20 matches or more, each as a United player.
Neither party has commented on the proceedings.
