Anfield medical team to be overhauled after two key members leave
At a time when Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has become the most high-profile Premier League campaigner for player welfare, the club are about to undergo a major revamp of their medical department.
Two key members of the backroom team will leave in March, and further departures are possible in an end-of-season restructure.
Andy Massey, the head of medical, and Richie Partridge, the firstteam physiotherapist, are stepping down from their Anfield roles to take jobs with Fifa and the Qatar national team, respectively.
The arrival of Gary O’driscoll as club doctor from Arsenal will be confirmed imminently, although there is no start date yet.
More appointments will be made during the summer, with existing staff stepping up in the interim.
Liverpool insist they are relaxed about the departures, which they recognise as attractive opportunities for the outgoing staff. Nevertheless,
On the move: Gary O’driscoll is leaving Arsenal to become Liverpool’s new club doctor
the timing is eye-catching, given the club are still fighting for three trophies and the campaign will be reaching its climax.
Liverpool are closing in on their first title in 30 years, and the medical staff have been an essential component of Klopp’s revitalisation. The club say they have enough staff cover, hence they did not seek to block the moves until the end of the campaign.
Massey’s switch was announced by Fifa in December, shortly before the Club World Cup. He has been at Liverpool since 2014.
Partridge, the former Republic of Ireland youth international, is a former Liverpool trainee who rejoined the club as part of the academy medical team in 2011 after the end of his playing career. He has been part of the first-team set-up since 2016. His taking up a position in Qatar was revealed this week.
With Liverpool’s schedule one of the toughest of any Champions League club during the course of this season – and the calendar ahead equally demanding in the coming years – it is a significant reshuffle at a pivotal time.
Liverpool would like O’driscoll, who worked for the British and Irish Lions rugby team before his move to Arsenal, in place soon. The clubs are still talking about a date.