‘It’s clinical negligence’ – Axel Tuanzebe out to prove ‘loss of career’ after suing Man United
Axel Tuanzebe must prove he has suffered a financial loss after it has emerged he is suing Manchester United.
The Old Trafford academy product joined Man United when he was eight before going on to make his debut in 2017.
Tuanzebe filed a legal claim with the High Court against his former club earlier this month for alleged negligent medical advice.
The matter relates to a period from July 2022 involving an unknown injury that saw him miss 195 days on the sidelines.
It is considered a high-value claim, which is believed to be worth in excess of £1million.
Former Man City financial adviser Stefan Borson exclusively told Football Insider Tuanzebe will likely be able to establish the duty of care part of his argument in a straightforward manner.
The 27-year-old joined Premier League newcomers Burnley from Ipswich Town earlier this month.
Axel Tuanzebe could face legal blow after Man United update
Borson insisted it could be hard for Tuanzebe to prove he’s suffered a financial impact as he is still playing in the Premier League.
He told Football Insider: “It’s very difficult to know without seeing all the papers as to exactly what he’s alleging.
“It’s a negligence case that United had a duty of care to the player and that for whatever reason, they failed in their duty of care to that player by giving negligent advice. The player’s still playing, so it’s hard in terms of financial impact.
“He would have to show that the negligent advice had caused him a financial loss let’s say by not being able to play at a high level. But given that he’s playing at quite a high level, it’s a difficult claim.
“Usually, these sorts of claims are where there’s been a loss of career. They often happen where somebody’s career has been ended by a foul or bad advice or whatever.
“The key thing about these sorts of cases anyway are that they are all based on the individual facts. They don’t tend to set precedents going forward.
“They tend to be very fact specific and then will be decided around the rules that will apply not just to football but to all sorts of sporting injuries and all sorts of medical negligence claims.
“So, it’s much less a sporting case than a clinical negligence case, and so I don’t think it necessarily will have a major impact on footballers generally beyond what the law already says.
“I think the player is already probably pretty comfortable in winning that Manchester United had a duty of care to the player or Manchester United’s medical representative had a duty of care to the player.
“I don’t think that’s going to be the challenge that he’s going to have. It’s probably going to be a challenge to establish that there was actual negligence, i.e. that the advice was wrong and negligent, and then also loss.
“But I think that the duty of care part is probably something that you can establish quite straightforwardly, so in terms of whether there was negligence or whether there is loss, those are obviously very specific to the individual case.”
Man United plan to sign A-list striker after Rasmus Hojlund sale
In terms of transfer activity, former Old Trafford chief scout Mick Brown told Football Insider United want to sell Rasmus Hojlund before stepping up their efforts to sign a new first-choice striker.
Ruben Amorim’s side are keeping tabs on the likes of Ollie Watkins, Nicolas Jackson and Benjamin Sesko as they remain determined to strengthen their attacking options.
Football Insider revealed on 4 July Watkins’s move to United hinges on Hojlund’s future, with the club aiming to move him on before signing a replacement.
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