Mike Phelan has criticised Manchester United’s training regime and hinted that Louis Van Gaal could be partly responsible for the number of injuries that have hit his squad in the first four months of the season.
Chris Smalling became the 43rd player to fall victim to an injury when he had to be replaced after 15 minutes against Southampton on Monday night, the third time he’s been sidelined this season.
Daley Blind, Angel Di Maria and Luke Shaw are all out injured, while Rafael and Phil Jones have only just returned to training and Radamel Falcao and Jonny Evans are yet to return to full fitness despite making a cameo appearance against Southampton and Stoke, respectively.
“What’s happened is a continuation of the same players getting injured all the time, so you have to look to the reasons why,”said Phelan.
“I think Manchester United changed their thoughts on the fitness regime. They looked at it a little bit differently.
“Tony Strudwick, who was operating as head of sports science and was involved day to day with the first-team. He understood the ins and outs of how to keep players fit, how to keep them ready for competition.
“Then suddenly they moved him sideways and did something completely different. That may have had an effect. That one area has changed.”
Phelan, now a first team coach at Norwich City, added that United’s new training regime might be to blame for the number of injuries the players have sustained so far.
“They’ve brought in new people with a different way of doing things. The intensity of training may be one thing – it may be too intense, or not intense enough – but obviously slight changes have been made with the present way of doing things,” he said.
“I would have thought the squad is big enough at Manchester United, because they can go out and get players in, but obviously they keep breaking down and they don’t seem to be getting any better. They seem to get one back and lose another two.”