Southampton Physio Matt Radcliffe Confirms He Will Join Manchester United Staff

Manchester United have secured the services of Southampton senior physiotherapist Matt Radcliffe as part of the continued overhaul of their medical staff.

United has made the moves to address an injury crisis the likes of which Louis van Gaal has never experienced before in his 23 years in management. Following a spate of injuries, the club's first team is missing eight members before its match with Everton on Sunday.

While the club are yet to confirm his arrival, Radcliffe has announced he will leave Ronald Koeman's side to take up his new role at Old Trafford from 13 October.

"I am really looking forward to working for such a great club," Radcliffe confirmed to ESPN. "I will be joining an outstanding medical team at United and hope to complement those who are already working at United.

"The aim is to add another skill to what is already there and also to take my skills to the next level by joining one of the biggest clubs in the world.

"United's Carrington training base will be a fantastic place to go to work and I can't wait to get started."

Radcliffe leaves Southampton after four years on the south coast working with the club during their rise from League 1 back to the summit of English football.

"It was a tough decision to walk away from a club that has been so good to me over the last four years, but I know Southampton are heading in the right direction and I can't wait to see where they are in two years' time," he continued.

"They are a club that is providing a blueprint for so many to follow, both in terms of working young kids and honing their skills and the way they treat their staff. Southampton is a football club going places and if they continue to play as they have done in the Premier League over the next couple of years, top players will want to join them."

The appointment of Radcliffe is the latest step taken by van Gaal and his staff to quell a seemingly endless stream of injury problems that have undermined United's first two months of the season.

Tony Strudwick, who had served as United's first team fitness coach for the past seven years, was last week handed the new role as head of athletic development. The 42-year-old's new responsibilities will see him remain involved with the first-team but now with greater emphasis on his duties with the club's academy and Under-21 side.

In a further attempt to address the problem, van Gaal is also set to withdraw Strudwick and club masseur Rod Thornley from their duties with the England national team in order to ensure their focus remains solely on United.

The Guardian reported Strudwick and Thornley will be a part of England manager Roy Hodgson's backroom staff for European Championship qualifiers against San Marino and Estonia in October but will then stand down from their duties thereafter.