Axel Tuanzebe will leave Manchester United in 2023 and is reportedly seeking £1 million in damages from his former club for alleged medical negligence following a chronic back injury.
Former Manchester United defender Axel Tuanzebe is seeking £1 million in damages from his former club for the damage caused to his career. Tuanzebe, who currently plays for Burnley, insists United are responsible for medical issues that continue to affect his career.
The 27-year-old came through the club’s academy and made 37 first-team appearances for United. He will leave at the end of the 2022/23 season when his contract expires, joining Burnley in the summer after two years at Ipswich.
It was revealed in July that Tuanzebe was taking legal action against United over allegations of “clinical negligence”. The Congolese international has been plagued by injuries throughout his career, and Sky News has now reported details of the allegations.
Tuanzebe reportedly claims United’s failure to treat the injury “promptly” and “properly” left him with a more serious long-term problem. He claims that due to the effects of the initial injury, he is still unable to play “without restriction or disability”.
read more: Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim may force Casemiro to take a pay cut amid contract finalizationread more: Brave Raheem Sterling takes on masked robbers to ‘protect his family’
The case is reportedly currently being filed in London’s High Court, with Tuanzebe saying he is “expecting damages in excess of £1 million”. United declined to comment when contacted by Sky News.
The case centers on a stress fracture in the back of Tuanzebe’s spine that was first discovered in January 2020 and had become chronic by July 2022.
The lawsuit alleges, “With an appropriate treatment plan, Complainant could have avoided the pain and discomfort described below and could have played professional soccer at an elite level without limitations or disabilities. As it stands, he continues to play at an elite level, which has affected his career and income.”
It further states, “It is Plaintiff’s case that Defendant (United Airlines) negligently failed to properly investigate Plaintiff’s partial fracture, failed to stabilize Plaintiff, and failed to refer Plaintiff to a specialized sports spine surgeon.”
“As a result, the plaintiff’s condition progressed significantly to bilateral grade 4 fractures and she developed a chronic left-sided vertebral fracture. Had the plaintiff been properly rested, the left-sided partial fracture would not have developed into a chronic condition, and the right-sided fracture could have been avoided entirely.”
Ms Tuanzebe claims she has been suffering from “significant pain and discomfort” since July 2022. His case is that his employer “failed to refer him to a specialist sports spine surgeon” in January 2020, when the stress fracture first occurred.
The defender first joined the club at the age of eight and spent 17 years at United. He rose through the ranks through the academy, making 38 appearances for the under-21s and earning caps for England at youth level before later being selected to represent his native Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Tuanzebe has made seven appearances for Burnley this season in the Premier League and Carabao Cup. After missing Burnley’s 3-2 defeat to United in August due to injury, he has started each of Scott Parker’s side’s last five league games.
