Former Manchester United defender and current Burnley player Axel Tuanzebe has filed a £1million lawsuit against the Premier League giants, alleging clinical negligence in the medical care he received during his time at Old Trafford.

According to Sky News reports on Tuesday, court documents reveal that Tuanzebe claims he can no longer play “without restriction or impediment” due to injuries sustained while at United.

The lawsuit centres on a left-sided pars fracture—a stress fracture of the lower spine—first sustained in January 2020, which caused “significant pain and discomfort.” A similar injury on the right side, suffered in July 2022, is also cited in the case.

Tuanzebe’s legal team alleges that Manchester United failed to allow adequate rest and did not refer him to a specialist sports spinal surgeon when required.

The court filing reads in part:

“Appropriate treatment plans would, on the balance of probabilities, have resulted in the claimant avoiding the pain and discomfort… and being able to play professional football at an elite level without restriction or impediment.”

“As it is, although he continues to play at an elite level, this has impacted his career and earnings.”

The documents further accuse United of failing to properly investigate the defender’s spinal injuries, which allegedly progressed into bilateral grade 4 fractures and a chronic left-sided spinal fracture.

Tuanzebe, a Manchester United academy graduate, joined the club at the age of eight and made his senior debut in January 2017. His career at Old Trafford, however, was hampered by multiple injuries, including a season-ending setback in December 2019 against Colchester United in the Carabao Cup.

He left United in 2023 after 17 years at the club and currently plays for Burnley.

Manchester United has declined to comment on the ongoing legal proceedings.