Liverpool physio takes ‘nasty’ critics to task over shocking injury record

Alisson Becker, Joel Matip, Jordan Henderson Liverpool v West Brom December 2020

Liverpool physio Chris Morgan has blasted “nasty” critics for linking his return to the club with an increase in injuries this season.

Morgan rejoined the Reds‘ medical department for the current campaign after working at Arsenal and Crystal Palace.

Since then, Liverpool have had a nightmare with injuries, which have partly caused their Premier League title defence to crumble.

Indeed, the major problem has been that all three senior centre-backs have suffered long-term injuries.

Writing on Twitter about the criticism from some fans, Morgan wrote: “Don’t be nasty. Don’t tweet nonsense. Don’t confuse correlation with causation.”

In another tweet, he wrote: “One person is not a medical/performance dept. 2 doctors, 4/5 physios, 3 soft tissue therapists, 1 rehab coach, 1 head of recovery, 1 sports scientist, 1 head of fitness, 3 fitness and conditioners, 1 head of nutrition, 1 Psych [psychiatrist], 1 radiologist. 2 (of them) just happen to run on the pitch.”

Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez’s knee injuries came as a result of impact in a tackle and an innocuous fall, respectively.

Joel Matip, meanwhile, suffered ankle ligament damage and will not return before the end of the season.

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Liverpool have also had several muscle issues to contend with; Naby Keita’s problems on that front have continued and he returned to the bench last weekend after two months out.

James Milner has suffered numerous hamstring tweaks, too.

On top of that, marquee summer signings Diogo Jota and Thiago Alcantara have both encountered knee issues.

Liverpool physio explains injury problems

Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez Liverpool

Asked by one fan to explain the reasons behind Liverpool’s wretched luck, Morgan added: “It’s complex and multi-factorial.

“The ones we can’t prevent (and we’ve had lots) then impact the ability to try to prevent others.

“We still have to put 11 players on the pitch every 3-4 days after all.”

Jota will reportedly return to first-team training on Wednesday and could be back in action next Thursday.

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