Ex-Premier League player suing surgeon over operation he ‘didn’t need’ which ‘ended career’
Sylvan Ebanks-Blake is taking legal action against a surgeon for potentially millions of dollars.
He asserts that a surgery he did not require terminated his professional football career. After a leg fracture in 2013, the now 37-year-old did not play in the Premier League again.
After undergoing the operation, he claims he developed arthritis without being notified of the potential risks of pain and stiffness. He is currently seeking compensation that may amount to millions.
Although the exact amount of compensation that Ebanks-Blake is seeking has not been revealed, it is worth noting that he was 27 years old when the surgery occurred. At that time, he was the top goal scorer for Wolves in the Championship, with 15 goals.
The average salary for a Premier League footballer at that time was £1.6 million per year. After the surgery, Ebanks-Blake played for Ipswich in the Championship for one season before moving down to lower divisions.
Ebanks-Blake, who was previously a youth prospect for Manchester United, announced his retirement from professional football during the 2019/20 season. He was playing for non-league team Walsall Wood at the time. Recently, legal documents related to his surgery have been submitted to the High Court.
Barrister Simeon Maskrey KC has attributed the downfall of Ebanks-Blake’s career to the surgery in the legal papers. The operation was conducted by orthopaedic surgeon Professor James Calder.
Ebanks-Blake’s legal team claims that in addition to repairing the broken fibula, the surgery also involved treatment on his ankle, which he claims was previously healthy.
As per the Mail, the barrister said: “His decision to stop was the result of the continuing pain and stiffness in the left ankle joint and not because of the fracture.”
According to the legal documents, there was no valid reason for carrying out the ankle operation, which is alleged to have hastened the onset of arthritis.
He added: “As it is, the claimant can no longer play football.
“He continues to suffer pain and stiffness in the left ankle. He has developed consequential psychiatric symptoms of depression.”
As per The Mail, the court has not yet made any defense to the lawsuit available.
Ex-Premier League player suing surgeon over operation he ‘didn’t need’ which ‘ended career’
