MX23RW : Monday, November 25 23:21:17| >> :120:26351:26351:

Mike Phelan: 'Manchester United injury problems down to Louis van Gaal'

Mike Phelan says that Manchester United's current spate of injuries could be down to the methods employed by manager Louis van Gaal on the training field.

Former Manchester United manager Mike Phelan has questioned the training methods used by manager Louis van Gaal following the club's recent injury crisis.

The Red Devils have been hit by a spate of injuries since the Dutchman took over at Old Trafford, with the likes of Angel di Maria, Radamel Falcao, Michael Carrick and Phil Jones each spending time on the sidelines of late.

Phelan, who last month joined Norwich City as first-team coach, believes that Van Gaal's decision to alter certain training methods could be to blame.

"What's happened is a continuation of the same players getting injured all the time, so you have to look to the reasons why," the 52-year-old told the International Business Times UK. "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, 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.

"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. They seem to get one back and lose another two."

Phelan spent five years alongside Sir Alex Ferguson at United, before leaving his role at the club in 2013.

ID:192829: cacheID:192829:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:3161:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Manchester United Manager Louis van Gaal gives a thumbs up prior to the Barclays Premier League match between Manchester United and Queens Park Rangers at Old Trafford on September 14, 2014
Read Next:
Van Gaal 'to pull physios from England duty'
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool1210112481631
2Manchester CityMan City127232217523
3Chelsea126422314922
4Arsenal126422112922
5Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton126422116522
6Tottenham HotspurSpurs1261527131419
7Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest125431513219
8Aston Villa125431919019
9Fulham125341717018
10Newcastle UnitedNewcastle125341313018
11Brentford125252222017
12Manchester UnitedMan Utd124441313016
13Bournemouth124351617-115
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham124351519-415
15Everton122551017-711
16Leicester CityLeicester122461523-810
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves122372028-89
18Ipswich TownIpswich121651323-109
19Crystal Palace121561017-78
20Southampton121110924-154


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!