Man Utd start overhaul under ex-Arsenal man as 13 could miss Liverpool game
Manchester United are reportedly ready to complete an overhaul of their medical department once Sir Jim Ratcliffe is through the door.
United hired Gary O’Driscoll from Arsenal in September to become their new head of medicine. His hiring ended a long search, which started in February when it was confirmed that the long-serving Steve McNally was leaving his role to join the PGMOL.
O’Driscoll – the cousin of Ireland rugby great Brian O’Driscoll – had been at Arsenal since 2009 following roles in rugby union and arrived with a glowing reputation. The Daily Mail reports that O’Driscoll has been busy undertaking an audit of the club’s medical department since arriving and is ready to present his findings to Ratcliffe and his INEOS colleagues once his £1.3billion deal for 25 per cent of the club has finally been ratified.
His work is running concurrently with Sir Dave Brailsford’s wider audit of the club and could trigger major changes. The club are concerned with the number of injuries in Erik ten Hag’s squad, with 13 players potentially missing the Premier League game against Liverpool on Sunday.
Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw were forced off in the 1-0 loss against Bayern Munich on Tuesday and they joined a huge United injury list which also includes defenders Lisandro Martinez, Victor Lindelof and Tyrell Malacia, midfielders Casemiro, Christian Eriksen and Mason Mount and winger Amad Diallo.
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O’Driscoll reportedly wants the club to make a concerted effort to increase diversity in the medical team by making more BAME, female and multi-faith appointments. He also wants more younger staff members, who can implement newer methods and take a more forward-thinking approach. United have already taken his ideas on board, hiring two BAME people recently.
Harry Maguire joined the long injury list on Tuesday night (James Gill/Getty Images)There is understood to be a feeling that rivals are ‘significantly more advanced’ in their medical departments. The number of absentees is one of the factors behind United’s dreadful start to the season, which has seen them lose 12 of their 24 matches across all competitions.
The defeat by Bayern was a good case in point, with the absences of Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial due to illness compounded when Maguire pulled his groin in the first half and Shaw was forced off at half-time. Ten Hag had few options to choose from on the bench, with Facundo Pellistri, Hannibal Mejbri and Kobbie Mainoo coming on when they were chasing the game.
O’Driscoll had become a familiar face on the Arsenal bench under Mikel Arteta and was an impressive hire for United. Before joining the Gunners, he worked as the Ireland rugby team doctor from 2003 to 2009 and was the doctor on the 2005 and 2009 British and Irish Lions tours.
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