Man Utd ‘sued for £1m’ by flop as he claims medical negligence harmed his profession
A former Manchester United star is reportedly suing the club for £1million, claiming medical staff failed to treat an injury “promptly” and “appropriately”
An ex-Manchester United star is said to be seeking a whopping £1million in damages from his old club after accusing them of derailing his career.
Now with Burnley, Axel Tuanzebe has pointed the finger at United for what he claims are medical mishaps that are allegedly still hampering his game. The 27-year-old made just 37 first-team outings for United after rising through their youth ranks and captaining academy sides, as his time at Old Trafford was repeatedly marred by injuries.
He bid farewell at the close of the 2022/23 season when his contract ran out. After a two-year stint at Ipswich, he signed with Burnley this summer. In July it was first reported that Tuanzebe was taking legal action against United over alleged “clinical negligence”.
The Congolese international’s career has been plagued by injuries and Sky News say they have now got their hands on the allegations in full.
Tuanzebe is said to be alleging that United failed to address an injury “promptly” and “appropriately”, which he says led to more severe long-term issues. He insists he’s still unable to play “without restriction or impediment” due to the fallout from the initial injury.
The lawsuit has reportedly been filed at the High Court in London, with Tuanzebe expecting to pocket “damages in excess of £1,000,000”. United declined to comment when Sky News reached out for a comment, reports the Mirror.
The case revolves around stress fractures at the base of the spine, which Tuanzebe first suffered in January 2020 and which allegedly turned chronic by July 2022.
The lawsuit contends: “Appropriate treatment plans would, on the balance of probabilities, have resulted in the claimant avoiding the pain and discomfort set out below and would have resulted in him being able to play professional football at elite level without restriction or impediment. As it is, although he continues to play at an elite level, this has impacted his career and earnings.”
It goes on to assert: “It is the claimant’s case that the defendant [United] negligently failed to properly investigate the claimant’s pars fractures, failed to rest the claimant and failed to refer him to a specialist sports spinal surgeon.
“As a result, the claimant’s symptoms significantly progressed to bilateral grade 4 fractures, and he developed a left-sided chronic spinal fracture. Had the claimant been appropriately rested, his left-sided pars fracture would not have developed into a chronic condition and the right-sided fracture would have been avoided altogether.”
Tuanzebe claims he has been grappling with “significant pain and discomfort” since July 2022. His argument is that his employers “failed to refer him to a specialist sports spinal surgeon” in January 2020, when the stress fracture first surfaced.
The defender was part of United for 17 years, having joined the club at the age of eight. He climbed up through the academy ranks, making 38 appearances for the under-21s and earning youth caps for England before opting to play for his birthplace, DR Congo.
Tuanzebe has turned out seven times in the Premier League and Carabao Cup for Burnley this season. Having recovered from an injury that kept him sidelined during Burnley’s 3-2 loss to United in August, he’s been a starter in the last five league matches under Scott Parker’s management.
