Shocking Numbers Expose Man Utd and Arsenal's Injury Crisis Nightmare
Arsenal's count of distinct injuries since the beginning of last season has surpassed one hundred, yet even the Gunners cannot compete with Manchester United's dismal five-year record.
Ben White suffered a hamstring problem that may sideline him for up to a month during the chaotic weekend victory against Wolverhampton Wanderers. While unsuccessfully attempting to keep pace with Hwang Hee-chan, the English defender became the 100th separate injury case to affect Mikel Arteta's squad since the 2024–25 season began.
No Premier League club, including United, can equal this figure during such a compressed timeframe, according to Sky Sports News.
Arsenal's Unwanted Century of Injuries
Rank | Team | Injuries Since August 2024 |
|---|---|---|
1. | Arsenal | 100 |
2. | Brighton | 97 |
3. | Tottenham | 90 |
4. | Newcastle | 86 |
5. | Aston Villa | 85 |
6. | Man City | 82 |
=7 | Chelsea | 78 |
=7 | Man Utd | 78 |
9. | Wolves | 72 |
10. | Crystal Palace | 69 |
11. | Liverpool | 67 |
=12 | Brentford | 61 |
=12 | Everton | 61 |
14. | Nottingham Forest | 56 |
15. | Bournemouth | 55 |
16. | Fulham | 46 |
17. | West Ham | 43 |
White was the most probable player to push Arsenal into three figures. The attacking defender has suffered injuries on nine different occasions during the last 18 months, keeping him unavailable for an extensive 166 days and rising.
Surprisingly, Declan Rice is considered the second-most injury-susceptible Arsenal player, accumulating eight different fitness problems. Nevertheless, the remarkably resilient midfielder has only missed 33 days, consistently picking up knocks that are quickly overcome.
The Gunners currently lack numerous defenders, compelling the available players to overexert themselves while compensating for their missing colleagues. Arteta has repeatedly expressed concern about this "extremely hazardous" pattern and cautioned that the fitness troubles won't end at 100. According to the frustrated manager, Arsenal are "purchasing tickets for another injury."
United's missing players have proven costly this decade.
Man Utd's £150 Million Injury Problem
Team | Total Injury Count | Total Injury Cost |
|---|---|---|
1. Man Utd | 399 | £154.5 million |
2. Chelsea | 357 | £137.9 million |
3. Newcastle | 355 | £105 million |
4. Arsenal | 322 | £99.7 million |
5. Liverpool | 312 | £82.8 million |
6. Man City | 290 | £72.3 million |
7. Everton | 284 | £66.7 million |
8. Tottenham | 282 | £61.6 million |
9. Brighton | 267 | £56.6 million |
10. Aston Villa | 235 | £39.7 million |
Considering the salaries paid to players during their injury periods, the Howden Football Injury Index (via The Times) has determined the expense of fitness setbacks between 2020–21 and 2024–25. Throughout this five-year span, no team can rival the £154.5 million ($206.7 million) United spent on those in their medical facility.
The Red Devils recorded the poorest injury statistics throughout the Premier League in three of the previous five seasons (2020–21, 2022–23 and 2023–24). Ruben Amorim's team has been less obviously affected during the past 18 months, but fitness concerns remain ongoing.
Lisandro Martínez continues his careful rehabilitation after suffering ACL damage 10 months ago in February, while Harry Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt are presently dealing with their own fitness issues. This shortage of defensive players forced Amorim to deploy 19-year-old Ayden Heaven in the center of his back three for his debut against Bournemouth on Monday. The home side subsequently conceded four goals at Old Trafford.
In an era of continuously advancing sports science, injury prevention is becoming progressively more refined. However, the wisdom shared by Liverpool's iconic manager Bob Paisley from the 1980s remains relevant today. "You keep your fingers crossed about injuries," he famously said. "That is in the lap of the gods."