Liverpool have at long last ended their search for a new club doctor following the appointment of Jonathan Power in the role.
While the new Reds recruit will travel with the squad for their warm weather training camp in Dubai before the Premier League resumes late next month, Power won't officially start his duties until he has completed his notice period in early 2023. The new Liverpool doctor has a glistening CV which clearly stood out to those overseeing the hiring process - including manager Jurgen Klopp.
From the West Derby area of Liverpool, this new job marks a return home for Power, who has more recently been operating as a consultant in sports and exercise medicine at the Centre for Sports and Orthopaedic Medicine in Bermuda.
He does have another role closer to home than Bermuda, given Power is also director of sport and exercise medicine at Yorkshire Sports Exercise Clinic. The expert boasts plenty of experience already, having spent nine years working with the Football Association.
Four of those nine years were also enjoyed with the England men’s team as a medicine doctor between 2017 and 2021. The Liverpool group within the Three Lions squad all spoke highly of Power which only made him a more attractive candidate in the eyes of the Anfield hierarchy.
In a two-year spell between 2019 and 2021, Power also served as Brentford's matchday doctor while he was also named as head of medical services for Leeds Rhinos rugby league club in the role before.
Power's appointment comes at a much-needed time considering Liverpool have been scrambling to find a replacement for his predecessor Jim Moxon, who surprisingly left the club on the eve of the season's start just after the summer tour of Asia in July of this year.
Head of Academy Medical, Bevin McCartan, and club physician Sarah Lindsay have been forced to take on added duties with the men's first-team this term in the wake of Moxon's exit and have even travelled to matches with the side.
Andreas Schlumberger, Liverpool's head of recovery and performance, played a key role in the process to hire Moxon's replacement and had a big say in the decision to appoint Power.
Schlumberger wasn't the only figure who played his part in Power's new role, with Klopp and departing sporting director Julian Ward also having a say on the matter.
Much like Moxon's in the summer, Ward's departure has come as a surprise to many at the club as they now line-up his replacement in the sporting director role that he only enjoyed for less than a full season.
It remains unclear whether Klopp will have a similar say in who succeeds Ward in the sporting director role.
