£20m Newcastle United injury blow & Man Utd concern revealed in fresh injury data after FIFA complaint
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
The Men’s European Football Injury Index compiled by global insurance intermediary group Howden, found that Newcastle players suffered 76 injuries over the course of the campaign. Manchester United were second with 75 instances of injury over the same period.
Man United were found to have paid the highest price of any club in the Premier League with the club’s injury cost calculated at £39.81million. The cost is calculated by multiplying the daily base salary of the injured player by the number of days they were unavailable due to injury. Newcastle average player salaries are considerably lower than Manchester United, meaning injuries were deemed less costly in a financial sense at £20.21million. But the injuries still took their toll on Eddie Howe’s squad as they exited the Champions League at the group stage and finished seventh in the Premier League table.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdOn Newcastle, the report said: “Following a 21-year UEFA Champions League absence, Newcastle United topped the table in terms of injury instances (76) with Manchester United close behind at an average cost of EUR 630,000.
“Recent high-profile signings and the increased likelihood of further investments into the playing squad will no doubt aid the club in navigating the regular demands of European competition in the future.”
The report was published just a day after European leagues and player unions lodged a legal complaint against FIFA with the European Commission over the fixture calendar.
They allege that FIFA is abusing a dominant position under competition law in its behaviour over the calendar. They argue “unilateral” changes FIFA has made, such as the introduction of an expanded Club World Cup to start next summer, have harmed the economic interests of domestic leagues and jeopardised player welfare.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdHowden has reported a year-on-year increase in the overall number of injuries since it first published the index after the 2020-21 season, although the four per cent increase is well under the 23 per cent hike between 2021-22 and 2022-23.
But the Premier League recorded a drop in the number of injuries recorded, from 944 in 2022-23 to 915 last season.
The Bundesliga had the highest number of injuries recorded for the second season running – 1,255 in 2023-24.
For all the discussion around fixture congestion and the requirement for players to rest, it was perhaps surprising that an 18-team top flight should lead the way, and one that features a six-week winter break.
Comment Guidelines
National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.