'Easy for media to speculate' on injuries - Renshaw

Liverpool's former head physio Andy Renshaw feels more transparency is needed from football clubs to avoid media speculation around injuries.

Renshaw was with the Reds for eight years before leaving in 2017 and had previously worked with Bolton Wanderers during their time in the Premier League.

Liverpool have been one of many clubs this season to struggle with injuries and players' workload has been a topic of conversation throughout the campaign.

Speaking exclusively to the BBC Football Extra newsletter, Renshaw said: "It's easy for media to speculate [on the problems] and that adds pressure. Certainly if I was still running a medical department it would, because you're sitting there thinking 'we're doing everything we can but certain people aren't necessarily listening'.

"One of my bug bears is, and I had a little go on Twitter about this a few years ago, a journalist put Liverpool's good injury record down to luck. I think that's a massive insult to all of the staff, not just the medical staff. You have to work as a team.

"Medical teams get most of the abuse when clubs go through high rates of injury and when that occurs, it's not necessarily anything to do with the medical staff. I always emphasise the fact that any member of staff involved in setting a player's physical workload are all responsible when there's an injury."

Renshaw also reflected on his own experience of mis-reporting when he was at the club, adding: "A lot of the injuries reported in the media are also wrong. I remember getting people quoting our injuries years ago when we were at Liverpool and they were nowhere near the reality.

"One season, I think in 2016-17, Dejan Lovren was listed on one of these websites as having had five injuries over the year. He'd not missed a game!"