By MATT BARLOW, FOOTBALL WRITER
Published: 10:00 EST, 16 December 2025 | Updated: 10:00 EST, 16 December 2025
Injuries have cost Premier League clubs more than a billion pounds over the last five seasons with Manchester United leading the way to an unwanted title.
United collected 399 injuries across the five years to July 2025 at an estimated cost of more than £150million, although there are signs of improvement with last season’s injury count down on the previous four years.
Chelsea are close behind with 357 injuries over five years at a cost of £140m. The London club have also recorded the most injuries among those who played at the Club World Cup from Europe’s top five leagues.
This data is from the 2024-25 edition of the annual injuries index report for men’s European football by insurance group Howden, released on Tuesday.
Chelsea suffered 23 injuries between June and October this year, more than any other European club participating in the Club World Cup in June and July and an increase of 44 per cent on the same period last year.
Manchester City, the other English club involved, suffered no injuries during the summer tournament, and 22 injuries between August and October.
Manchester United have lost the most money on injuries in recent times - collecting 399 injuries across the five years to July 2025 at an estimated cost of more than £150million
Chelsea are second behind United with 357 injuries over five years at a cost of £140m, while they have also recorded the most injuries among sides who played at the Club World Cup
Overall, the data suggests the inaugural Club World Cup had a minimal impact on the number of injuries, although Howden’s experts predict the true impact will be clearer by the end of the season.
Five years since the Covid pandemic interrupted the 2019-20 season have been highly congested for the Premier League’s biggest clubs with a cumulative impact on elite players.
There was Project Restart to complete the season, followed by Euro 2020 in the summer of 2021, the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Euro 2024 and this summer’s Club World Cup.
Mateo Kovacic, who competed in all these tournaments, has hardly played for Manchester City this season and has been struggling with ankle and achilles tendon problems.
Robin Thorpe, an elite performance and injury risk expert who has worked with both Manchester United and the Red Bull group, said: 'The 2022 Qatar World Cup did not result in a clear rise in post-tournament injury count, but it was followed by a spike in injury severity.
'This pattern is logical, players exposed to the highest international workloads are typically the most influential and highest-paid individuals within squads. Their injuries therefore carry a disproportionate performance and financial cost.
'Players such as Antonio Rudiger and Mateo Kovacic, who have competed in EURO 2020, the 2022 World Cup, EURO 2024, and the 2025 Club World Cup, illustrate the unprecedented multi-year cumulative physical and mental load now faced by elite footballers.'
Another trend evident over five years is the increase in the severity of injuries for players under the age of 21.
'The vulnerability of young players is particularly striking,' said Thorpe. 'Across the top leagues, most notably in the Premier League, Under-21 players sustain the most severe injuries despite accumulating the fewest minutes.
'This may point toward a systemic issue within player development pathways. In many cases, players may reach technical readiness for senior football before achieving the physical robustness required to tolerate its demands.'
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