Former Manchester United academy star Sylvan Ebanks-Blake is suing a doctor for £7million over an ‘unnecessary’ operation.
The procedure was held after Ebanks-Blake broke his fibula and sprained his ankle in 2013 while playing for Wolves.
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The 39-year-old alleges that his orthopaedic surgeon, Prof. James Calder, performed a ‘destructive’ operation on his ankle that ruined his career.
Ebanks-Blake also claimed Calder, who has denied all the allegations, performed ankle arthroscopy and a microfracture procedure without proper consent.
The surgery happened during the ex-striker’s prime years when he was 27 – and his career only went downhill from there.
He had scored 64 goals in 193 appearances for Wolves prior to the incident, but never played in the English top flight again.
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Ebanks-Blake played six more seasons, scoring fewer than four league goals in five of them.
Not to mention, he found himself bouncing between League One clubs, before seeing out the twilight of his career in non-league football.
At the time, the average Premier League player was making about £1.6m a year and Ebanks-Blake had every intention of playing in the top flight again.
His legal team argues he was never warned about the long-term risk of ankle pain and restricted movement, and that if he had known, he would not have opted for the procedure.
His representative explained that after the surgery, Ebanks-Blake could no longer play without steroid injections, and that physical limitations led to his early retirement in 2019.
Barrister Simeon Maskrey KC told Mrs Justice Lambert at London’s High Court: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
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Meanwhile, Calder’s lawyers argued that the surgery was necessary to address pre-existing cartilage damage, and actually prolonged Ebanks-Blake’s career.
Martin Forde KC told the court: “It is arguable that if Professor Calder had done anything other than what he did do, he would have been negligent for not dealing with the loose fragments and unstable cartilage.
“The defendant’s position is that through his judgment and skill he prolonged the claimant’s career.”
Calder’s lawyers also asserted that Ebanks-Blake “was provided with sufficient information to provide informed consent”.
They added that it was the player’s own ‘overoptimistic’ view of recovery that led to unmet expectations.
Ebanks-Blake began his football journey at United’s academy but suited up just twice for the Red Devils’ senior side.
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He endured a loan spell at Antwerp in 2005/06 before joining Plymouth Argyle.
Between 2007 and 2013, Ebanks-Blake made his hay at Wolves until suffering his debilitating injury.
