Revealed: Van Gaal relegated Man U’s long-serving fitness coach

Manchester United’s performance and injury crisis might be deeper than it seems as it emerged last night that Loius Van Gaal, had pulled the club’s long-serving fitness coach, Tony Strudwick, out of duty with the first team. He has now been relegated to work with the club’s younger players.

Tony Strudwick in training with Man U players

 Van Gaal’s long serving fitness guru, Jos van Dijk, is now in control of fitness planning and programming for the club’s first team players.

Strudwick, 42, had since 2007, been handling the crucial task of designing and planning fitness trainings for the club. He was in charge during the club’s pre-season tour but an Old Traford source told MailOnline that all that changed at the beginning of the season.

According to the source, his only involvement with the first team has been some warm up drills before training. He is no longer in charge of design and planning.

Strudwick, far left in training with English national team

The move is considered a risk as Strudwick, considered competent enough to have worked for the FA with Roy Hodgson and the England squad is trusted and respected by all of the club’s senior players.

 Describing the current injury crisis in the club as the worst he has ever known, Van Gaal revealed on Friday night that he has nine players injured ahead of Saturday's visit of West Ham United in the Barclays Premier League.

According to MailOnline, “there is no suggestion that the decision to move Strudwick is any reflection on his work, rather that Van Gaal – in common with many managers – merely wished to work with his own man”.

New man, Jos van Dijk, on Van Gaal's right, close to Patrick Kluivert ...during training with the Dutch team