Former Manchester United defender Axel Tuanzebe is pushing ahead with a £1 million ($1.32 million) lawsuit against the club.
The 27-year-old, who now plays for Premier League new boys Burnley, graduated from United’s academy in 2015 and went on to play 37 times for the club in all competitions.
But Tuanzebe’s time at United was riddled with injuries. He missed 42 games for club and country between December 2019 and October 2020 and also missed a large chunk of the 2022–23 season before being released in the summer.
What Tuanzebe Is Claiming Against Man Utd
Details of Tuanzebe’s lawsuit against United, which he lodged with the High Court in July, have been revealed by Sky News.
Tuanzebe suffered a stress fracture injury to his lower spine in January 2020—one that caused ‘’significant pain and discomfort since their development and deterioration.” The central defender alleges that the issue became chronic in July 2022 after he sustained the same injury on the right side of his lower side and is of the opinion that United’s medical staff did not provide him with the appropriate care and specialist support.
“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,” the lawsuit says.
“As it is, although he continues to play at an elite level, this has impacted his career and earnings.”
Often, players are sent to see outside consultants to understand the severity of an injury and outline a treatment plan, but Tuanzebe alleges that United failed to refer him to a third party. That, in his estimation, is a likely cause for the issue becoming a chronic problem.
It’s thought Tuanzebe’s legal team are expecting to recover damages “in excess of £1 million”—a figure that has been calculated by potential loss of earnings through wages and bonuses.
Why Is Tuanzebe Suing Man Utd if He’s Still Playing?
Tuanzebe may still be playing at the highest level with Burnley, but the lawsuit specifies that he is no longer able to play “without restriction or impediment.”
That suggests that Tuanzebe, who has also spent time at Ipswich Town and Stoke City, is managing his condition at Turf Moor and is not able to play at full physical capacity.
Manchester United, who have shown great improvement in recent weeks under Ruben Amorim, have declined to comment on proceedings.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Why Man Utd Are Being Sued for £1 Million by Former Player.
