Gary O'Driscoll, cousin of Brian, is set to depart his role as head of medical services at Manchester United after just 18 months at the club.
The former Irish rugby team doctor arrived at Old Trafford in September 2023, after spending well over a decade at United's Premier League rivals Arsenal.
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His stint in Manchester looks set to be significantly shorter than his spell in North London was, with the Athletic reporting that his departure is imminent.
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Gary O'Driscoll leaves role at Manchester United
Gary O'Driscoll IReland
2 February 2008; Geordan Murphy, Ireland, is attended to by team doctor Dr. Gary O'Driscoll. RBS Six Nations Rugby Championship, Ireland v Italy, Croke Park, Dublin. Picture credit; Brendan Moran / SPORTSFILE *** Local Caption ***
Laurie Whitwell and Colin Millar of The Athletic reported on Tuesday that Gary O'Driscoll - cousin of Irish rugby legend Brian - will depart his role as head of medical services at Manchester United. He replaced interim Jim Moxon, who stayed at the club in the role of first team doctor. Moxon is also reportedly set to depart the club.
However, both men are said to stay at United until their successors are found in order to ensure minimal disruption to the medical team's work.
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The Athletic's report also confirms that O'Driscoll's departure is unrelated to the recent round of redundancies, as new owners INEOS continue to cut dozens of jobs at the cash-strapped club.
O'Driscoll made the move to Manchester 18 months ago in order to be closer to his family. He began his career as the Irish rugby team doctor, spending six years in the role between 2003 and 2009 and also serving as team doctor for the 2005 and 2009 Lions tours.
Irish rugby legend Brian O'Driscoll is Gary's cousin. BOD is a Manchester United fan since childhood, and revealed in an interview seven years before Gary's arrival at the club that his cousin had been the reason for him becoming a United supporter:
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I had cousins who were from Manchester and they came over to Dublin to visit when I was about four or five.
They asked me who I supported and I said I didn’t really know. So they said, ‘That’s it, you are supporting Manchester United. That’s the end of it’.
Ironically, one of my cousins who is involved in that family is Gary O’Driscoll, who used to be the Irish Rugby doctor and later worked at Arsenal – it was his family who were the original instigators as to why I support United!
Gary O'Driscoll's next career move is unclear.
Manchester United have been hit hard by injuries in recent weeks. Long-term absentees Luke Shaw and Mason Mount remain sidelined, though Mount has returned to training this week. Elsewhere, Amad Diallo, Lisandro Martinez, and Kobbie Mainoo look set for lengthy periods out of action.
As INEOS grapple with restructuring United, finding a suitable replacement for Gary O'Driscoll will be high on their list of priorities.
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