News | Press Releases

March 11, 2014

REDS UNVEIL MEDICAL FACILITY

STATE OF THE ART MEDICAL IMAGING SUITE NOW OPERATIONAL AT AON TRAINING COMPLEX

Manchester United and Toshiba Medical Systems have today officially unveiled a brand new medical facility at the Aon Training Complex, harnessing the cutting edge medical equipment of the club’s official medical systems partner.

The pioneering agreement, part of the partnership that was announced in October 2012, has seen Toshiba install scanning equipment to help with early diagnosis of injury, improve player welfare and also facilitate research into early markers of potentially preventable injuries and ways of maintaining player career longevity at elite level.

The new facility will aid analysis of patterns and trends in rehabilitation, with innovative cardiac and musculoskeletal profiling helping to gain a wider understanding of both normal and abnormal responses to athletic training with possible applications to everyday health problems and injuries outside of professional sports.

Speaking about the facility, Dr Steve McNally, Manchester United club doctor, said: “Our partnership with Toshiba Medical Systems that provides Manchester United with state of the art Ultrasound, MRI and CT scanning facilities at our training complex will be a world first, offering a unique opportunity to explore the capabilities of medical imaging within an elite sporting environment. Not only am I excited about the possibilities for enhancing player healthcare, athletic development and ultimately performance, the innovative applications we hope to develop through this collaboration may confer wider healthcare benefits for the general population.”

United manager David Moyes added: “I’m absolutely delighted to have this facility fully up and running. Not only is it cutting edge medical technology, it will also help us detect the early signs of injury and help to refine the rehabilitation process – something that will pay dividends for years to come.”

United’s group managing director, Richard Arnold, commented: “Our players are at the centre of Manchester United and it is vital that we are able to offer them the best possible medical support. Toshiba are one of the world-leaders in sports medicine, and this partnership will have tangible value to the success of Manchester United and continue to advance understanding into both sports and other kinds of injuries.”

Canon’s vice president of sales and service in Europe, Mark Holmshaw, said: “This partnership will see the rapid development of world-class sports medicine applications from global leaders in the fields of football and medical technology.

“Canon’s medical technology delivers excellent image quality as well as market leading diagnostic precision that will enable Manchester United to identify, treat and rehabilitate players with a speed not currently experienced in world football today. Also, we will identify best practice rehabilitation for professional athletes, identifying new treatments, whilst delivering guidance and potential applications and treatment pathways for the wider public regarding the diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation for all patients in the long term.”

Toshiba Medical Systems’ innovative technological advancements will assist in giving United’s players the best care available, further demonstrating how the club’s commercial ventures can assist with its on the pitch activities.

Source: Manchester United Ltd and Getty Images