Manchester United fitness coach Tony Strudwick taken off first team duties after Louis van Gaal brings in Jos van Dijk

Tony Strudwick has been at Manchester United since joining the club from Blackburn Rovers in 2007
The long-serving fitness coach has been replaced by Jos van Dijk
Strudwick has been told to work with Manchester United's youth players

Intrigue over Manchester United’s poor injury record this season deepened on Friday night when it emerged that their respected and long-serving fitness coach Tony Strudwick is no longer involved in key first team duties.

United manager Louis van Gaal revealed on Friday that he has nine players missing injured ahead of Saturday's visit of West Ham United in the Barclays Premier League. Van Gaal has described the crisis as the worst he has ever known.

Now it has emerged that first team fitness expert Strudwick has been moved from his usual role to a job looking after the physical development of the club’s younger players. It is understood that Van Gaal’s long serving fitness guru Jos van Dijk is now in control of fitness planning and programming for the club’s elite stars.

Manchester United fitness coach Tony Strudwick is no longer working with Louis van Gaal's first team stars

Strudwick, pictured with Van Gaal, has been told to sharpen up the fitness of Manchester United's starlets

Jos van Dijk, pictured on the far left before United's win against QPR, will work with the senior team

Van Dijk, pictured to the right of Patrick Kluivert, was part of Van Gaal's Dutch staff at the 2014 World Cup

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Strudwick was in charge of things on the club’s pre-season tour of America and was regularly seen working with Wayne Rooney and the rest of the first team on the trip.

Since then, though, the 42-year-old has been less visible and sources at Old Trafford confirmed last night that things had changed earlier in the season. Strudwick’s only involvement with the first team now is some warm up drills before training and some strength work.

He no longer has any involvement with the crucial task of designing and planning training, the vital role he had fulfilled since joining from Blackburn Rovers in 2007.

There is no suggestion that the decision to move Strudwick is any reflection on his work, rather that Van Gaal – in common with many managers – merely wished to work with his own man.

However Van Gaal’s decision represents a risk as not only is Strudwick considered talented enough and experienced enough to work for the FA with Roy Hodgson and the England squad, he is liked, trusted and respected by all of the club’s senior players.