'The canaries in the coal mine' - Why teams like Man United invest in player care

"Each day, Manchester United's players drive down Birch Road, occasionally stopping for the horses from the Carrington Riding Centre or a cyclist, and turn into the club's training ground. When the autograph seekers are satisfied and the entry barriers are lifted, they turn in front of the red neon "Manchester United" sign and head toward the first team parking lot behind the main building."

"With their sports cars and luxury SUVs locked and their travel bags under their arms, they walk inside. Once in the area known as the "players' corridor," an office behind glass panels is immediately on the left side, with a large desk in the middle and chairs on either side. On the back wall is a large flat-screen TV, and there are telephones and laptops in the room. The door is always open."

"But it's not an office for manager Ruben Amorim, CEO Omar Berrada or director of football Jason Wilcox. Instead, this room is reserved for the player care team. It's the department that works to ensure each squad member has everything they need off the pitch so they can perform on it."

Manchester United operates a visible player care office adjacent to the players' corridor to handle non-football matters for first-team players. The player care team provides practical, day-to-day support, coordinates personal logistics, and creates a staff presence with phones, laptops and a permanent open-door room. Premier League clubs increasingly invest in similar services to optimise player readiness and well-being. The department focuses on the person rather than just the player, aiming to ensure squad members arrive to training mentally clear and able to concentrate fully on football.

Read at ESPN.com