Head of Medical O’Driscoll to leave Man Utd after 18 months

The club have privately insisted that O’Driscoll’s exit is nothing to do with their current injury problems – nor the wider round of redundancies that are currently taking place at Old Trafford and Carrington. 

United have thanked him for “driving a series of positive changes across the medical department” and for “laying the foundations for further improvements to come.”

However, minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe did highlight the club’s injury problems and the need for world-class player support in interviews he gave to media yesterday. 

O’Driscoll, who hails from Manchester and is the cousin of former Ireland Rugby Union captain Brian O’Driscoll, is one of the most experienced and respected medical staff in the game.

He joined Arsenal as their Club Doctor in 2009 and was promoted to Head of Medical eight years later, replacing his friend Colin Lewin. Before working in football, O’Driscoll was the Ireland Rugby Union team doctor from 2003 to 2009, Doctor on the 2005 and 2009 British and Irish Lions tours and part of the emergency aid team at the 2012 Olympics.

At United, he had replaced Steve McNally, who left in February 2023 after more than 16 years’ service and became Performance Support Director for the PGMOL.

Meanwhile, United’s Men’s First Team Doctor, Jim Moxon, is also exiting the club. Moxon had originally come on board on an interim basis two years ago to fill in for McNally, before being made permanent. 

Both O’Driscoll and Moxon will remain at United for an interim period until successors have been appointed, with that search having already begun.