Manchester United believe that a new state-of-the-art medical facility at their training base, Carrington, will help the club to prevent injuries to their players by helping them to predict soft-tissue injuries six months before they occur.
United suffered the worst injury record in the Premier League last season, which undoubtedly harmed the club’s cause as they finished second on goal difference to cross-town rivals Manchester City in one of the most incredible finales seen in any league in world football. This season too, United have suffered similar misfortune, with injuries already ruling out Nemanja Vidic, Chris Smalling, Ashley Young, Phil Jones and Jonny Evans, amongst others, out for significant periods of time.
Keen to minimize the impact of injuries as the margins between champions and second place get smaller and smaller, Manchester United will spend £25 million on a new medical facility, which has been described as the best at any football club in the world, which the club says will allow United’s massive sports science and medical departments to pin point soft tissue injuries in players before they become a problem. The facility will also allow for regular heart screenings of their players, which will help to prevent anything like the horror experienced by Fabrice Muamba last season.
The club announced a five-year deal with Toshiba Medical Systems yesterday which will see the club receive £12 million worth of medical equipment, to couple with a £13 million redevelopment of Carrington, which is due to be completed in the coming weeks.
Sir Alex was delighted with the developments, and lauded the partnership with Toshiba, stating that it would put United one step ahead of their opponents, both domestically and in Europe, though he would have liked the refurbishment to have been completed a little quicker:
“I think they built the pyramids quicker,” said Ferguson.
“We’re getting there and this partnership with Toshiba will add to it with their medical systems bringing a new dimension to sports science and medical treatment for our players.
“This fantastic partnership will put us above most clubs in the world. But it is not just the supply of their medical systems, we’re also sharing the experiences together and the new ideas to come out of it. We already have a fantastic medical staff and they will relish the challenge of working with Toshiba.
“Sometimes maybe the supporters don’t see that. But we’ll see the benefits and the players will appreciate it. This is fantastic progress.
“We made a couple of signings this summer but this is a big signing – probably the most important step forward this club has taken in a long, long time.”
The facility will allow United to conduct medicals for new signings on sight, as opposed to taking them to local hospitals, and will also help United to treat their injured players far away from the prying eyes of the media, which has proven a point of frustration for Sir Alex in recent times.
