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Manchester United have suffered a major blow with the loss of first-team physio Matt Radcliffe - less than a year into the job.

Louis van Gaal poached the highly-rated Radcliffe, billed as an 'injury prevention specialist', from Premier League rivals Southampton last October.

The Old Trafford giants had nine players sidelined when Radcliffe was appointed and his arrival was supposed to signal an end to the injury crisis that blighted Van Gaal's first season in charge.

The club confirmed Radcliffe has left his post after just eight months at Old Trafford, although they were unable to confirm if he was sacked or left of his own accord.

Radcliffe, regarded as one of the best physios in the game, replaced United's long-term medic Ron Swire, who left last summer after 23 years.

But Radcliffe's shock departure has left Van Gaal searching for a key member of his back-room team with the start of the new Premier League season just seven weeks away.

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Van Gaal showed his ruthless streak within weeks of taking over last season by moving Tony Strudwick from the role of fitness coach, a post he had held for seven years.

It is not clear whether Radcliffe's departure was on the orders of Van Gaal, but United continued to be blighted by injuries right up until the end of the season.

Van Gaal was left stunned by the frequency with which he was without players because of physical ailments throughout the season, branding the situation the worst he had known in 30 years of management.

The United boss complained he was unable to picked a settled team during his debut campaign in England, often having to play players out of position and change systems to cope with the enforced losses.

Neil Hough remains as head physio and John Davin, whose remit is the rehabilitation of players with long-term injuries, will step into Radcliffe's role until a permanent replacement is found.

(Image: John Peters)

Davin fulfilled that role on United's tour of the US last summer and for the first part of the season until Radcliffe arrived in mid-October.

Van Gaal's players return for pre-season training on July 1 and embark on a two-and-a-half-week tour of the States a fortnight later.