The Grass Isn't Always Greener ! Ex Saints Man To Leave United After Less Than A Year
Thursday, 18th Jun 2015 11:17

A move to a big club is not always the best thing for your career as one ex Saints man has now found out.

Last year it wasn't just the Saints first team squad that was ravaged by so called big clubs, Head of Recruitment Paul Mitchell was poached by Tottenham Hotspur whilst first team physio Matt Radcliffe decided to leave Southampton for the bright lights of Old Trafford.

But eight months on from his departure Radcliffe is leaving Old Trafford with it being unclear whether he has been sacked, left by his own accord or the usual "Mutual Consent".

Radcliffe like many other of the Saints back room team had a reputation as one of the best physio's in the Premier league and that led to United poaching him shortly after the start of last season in October 2014.

His brief was to stop the worrying fitness and injury issues that had been happening at Old Trafford since the start of last term, indeed Luke Shaw after being virtually ever present in Saints side in the 20 months or so before his departure suddenly developed injury after injury severely restricting his appearances and meaning he did not establish himself in the United team as was expected.

Perhaps Louis Van Gaal blamed radcliffe for not repairing the situation he described as the worst he had experienced in 30 years as a manager, but that would be unfair on Radcliffe and the real blame shoul probably lie in the training methods employed at Old Trafford which clearly were too much for the likes of Shaw to adapt to immediately.

Whatever the reasons for Radcliffe's departure it is perhaps a word of warning to those that are being lured elsewhere, be it on or off the pitch roles, that the grass is not always greener elsewhere and that sometimes being part of an exciting project like Southampton Football Club with everything to play for can be more satisfying and less perilous to you career than being at the likes of Manchester united or Tottenham Hotspur where failure is very easily achieved when you have so high demands.

Photo: Action Images

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