Transfer deadline day: What actually happens during a football medical?

‘Subject to passing a football medical’ is a phrase oft-heard by football fans, but what does it actually mean, and how do players pass or fail? 

Wednesday 31 January 2018 20:35 GMT
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.

The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.

Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.

“Subject to passing a medical” is one of the phrases you will have heard multiple times during the January transfer window, as clubs scramble to get their transfers over the line.

Put simply, if the player doesn’t pass the medical, then nine times out of ten the transfer cannot happen and therefore the “medical” process is fundamental to any transfer being completed.

But what exactly happens during a football medical?

Dr Ramzy Ross, Head of Sports and Human Performance at nanoM - a state of the art integrated health assessment clinic for the world of professional sports – shares his thoughts on the subject.

And follow the latest from the final day of the January transfer window.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in