A record number of injuries were suffered last season across Europe’s top five leagues, a new report has revealed amid growing concerns over fixture congestion.
In total, 4,123 injuries were recorded across Europe during the 2023-24 campaign, a 4 per cent increase on the previous season, with the Premier League accounting for 44 per cent of those injuries.
The overall number of injuries suffered by Premier League players, however, fell by three per cent compared to the previous season according to data from the Men’s European Football Injury Index, a study produced by global insurance group Howden.
On average, a Premier League club experienced an injury to a player every 94 minutes of competitive football.
The Premier League clubs hit worst by the injury crisis were Newcastle and Manchester United, who suffered 76 and 75 injuries respectively across the course of the season. Only Crystal Palace (42) and Wolves (32) recorded below the league average number of injuries.
Footballers across Europe’s top five leagues suffered a record number of injuries last season
Manchester United were the worst hit club in the Premier League and suffered a severe crisis
Arsenal will face an anxious wait for news of Bukayo Saka, the latest Premier League star to pick up an injury on international duty
The cost of injuries suffered by Premier League players to their clubs was an eye-watering £266million, a figure calculated by multiplying the daily base salary of the injured player by the number of days they were unavailable due to injury. That number is well above the European average owing to the ever-increasing inflation of wages in English football.
James Burrows, Head of Sport at Howden, said: ‘The 2023-24 Howden Men’s European Football Injury Index underscores the ever-increasing physical demands on players.
‘As fixture congestion intensifies with expanded competitions domestically and internationally, we are seeing more players sidelined for longer periods, with a notable 5% rise in injury costs this season alone.’
