Sport

PASSING THE TEST Transfer deadline day: What is a football medical and does a player need to complete it before they sign?
SunSport delves into a world of musculoskeletal stability, body fat & sprint tests to explain what clubs expect of new signings
By Jim Sheridan
31st January 2018, 9:20 am
Updated: 31st January 2018, 3:58 pm
PREMIER LEAGUE clubs are putting the finishing touches on their final transfer deals of the window.

And that means club physios and doctors will be busy as players undergo their medicals.

Gareth Bale undertakes his medical at Real Madrid in 2013
The process is often seen as foregone conclusion - but what does a football medical actually entail?

SunSport delves into a world of musculoskeletal stability, body fat and sprint tests.
The basics

EVERY player is different - and therefore every medical is different.

Each player has their own knocks and issues and the medical is designed to check that these won't stop him from performing at his peak.

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Every player has different ailments and the medical can take up to two days
You wouldn't want to shell out £40million on a player with an undiagnosed calf issue - and the process is designed to rigorously ensure that the player in question is in top working order.

Depending on the club, a medical could take as long as two days and feature a number of tests conducted by a fitness team, physiotherapist and possibly a club doctor.

The information they then collect is passed onto the manager and chief execs for a final decision.
It's all in the heart

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Fabrice Muamba is treated on the pitch following his heart failure
EVERYONE remembers Fabrice Muamba's heart attack on the pitch at White Hart Lane.

The Bolton midfielder was lucky to survive - but others such as Marc Vivien Foe and Phil O'Donnell have succumbed to undiagnosed heart problems.

So more than ever before medicals have a greater focus on the heart, performing cardiac screening with an ECG and heart history questionnaire.

Players up to the age of 24 will ideally have annual checks to detect any heart-related issues and this is now fairly standard practice after past tragedies.

Besides, cardio is a huge part of the modern game as fitness levels are pushed to the limit by ever increasing hikes in intensity and player safety is paramount.

Put your back into it

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Medics look at musculoskeletal stability - the strength of the back and lower abdomen - to determine if a player will have any problems with the quads or hamstrings.

Players will be forced to do a number of squats, hop tests and lunges as they show the assessors that these regions are strong enough for a 50-game plus season.

Whether they have a backbone for the mental fight is a separate issue.

Who ate all the pies?

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Former Luton Town skipper Phil McNulty was in excellent shape despite his large frame
WE'VE all seen it, the journeyman striker who returns from pre-season looking like he's enjoyed a few too many lagers and BBQs during the summer break.

But how do medics determine if a player has put on too much timber for a move?

They use a clever technique called Bioelectrical Impedance technology which scans the body and measures lean tissue and fat.

Can a transfer deadline day signing fall through because the medical takes too long?

If a player flies in to complete a move with just hours left until the transfer deadline, they are likely to have a hard time fitting their medical in.

But that doesn't mean that they won't be able to sign.

Typically, clubs agree to sign players on deadline day "subject to a medical", to allow the deal to go through without the need for the lengthy process.