Man Utd's alarming £39m bill backs up Erik ten Hag's repeated complaints

Erik ten Hag has won the crocks’ Champions League - after landed the largest bill in Europe to cover the cost of injuries.

And Eddie Howe finished top of the table for injuries at after the Toon suffered 77 injuries, more than any other English club, last season.

Alarming data released by City insurance giants Howden has revealed that clubs in English football’s top flight recorded 915 injuries in the 2023-24 campaign at a combined cost of £266million -and the figures are still rising year-on-year.

After midfielder Rodri warned last month that players could go on strike because of concerns about their increasing workload, the fourth edition of Howden’s European Injury Index backs up his premise for industrial action. Over the last four years across Europe’s top five leagues in the men’s game, injury lay-offs have cost clubs more than £2billion in wages and associated costs.

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Manager Ten Hag complained repeatedly that United’s results last term were often undermined by a spate of injuries - and Howden’s data backs up the beleaguered Dutchman.

• At £39.8million, injury-related costs at Old Trafford were the highest in Europe, outstripping (£32.56m) and (£31.42m) sicknote payouts.

• Newcastle’s first campaign in 20 years stretched manager Howe’s squad to the limit with 76 injuries over the season - one more than United’s 75, the highest in England.

• German clubs were hit particularly hard by injury absences - despite a mid-season break - with Borussia Monchengladbach picking up 101 casualties.
  

• And disturbingly, young players are feeling the strain with Under-21 players in the Premier League sidelined for an average of 44 days per injury, a 187 per cent increase compared with the Covid-hit 2020-21 season.

James Burrows, head of sport at Howden, said: “The 2023-24 Men’s European Football Injury Index underscores the ever-increasing physical demands on players.

“As fixture congestion intensifies, with expanded competitions domestically and internationally, we are seeing more players sidelined for longer periods, with a notable five per cent rise in injury costs this season alone.

“Our data captures the demands of modern football and we hope it serves as a valuable tool for players, clubs and governing bodies in their ongoing discussions.”

Rodri’s comments last month led to a chorus line of elite players complaining they were being asked to play too often after the and Club World Cup tournaments were both expanded.

In a cruel twist, no sooner had Rodri taken to the pulpit warning that players’ levels drop if they are asked to play more than 50 games a season than he suffered a serious knee ligament injury in the 2-2 draw with title rivals .

On Monday, European leagues and players’ union Fifpro accused FIFA of “abusive and anti-competitive” conduct by expanding the global schedule in a manner they believe endangers players and domestic competitions.

The complaint was lodged in Brussels with the European Commission, which must now decide whether to open official legal proceedings against the world governing body.

THE COST OF INJURIES: HIGHEST BILLS IN EUROPE 2023-24

Manchester United £39.81 million

Bayern Munich £32.56m

Real Madrid £31.42m

Chelsea £30.21m

Manchester City £27.20m

Barcelona £23.32m

Liverpool £20.89m

Paris Saint-Germain £20.17m

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