Former Premier League striker sues surgeon for £7m over ‘destructive' operation

Telegraph

16-07-2025

A former Premier League footballer whose career was derailed by an injury to his leg is suing his surgeon for over £7m.
Sylvan Ebanks-Blake, 39, who was a striker for Wolverhampton, claimed he never played top flight football again after surgery following a leg break in 2013.
The former England under-21 star said that surgeon Prof James Calder caused the premature end to his Premier League career when, in addition to fixing the leg break, he performed an allegedly unnecessary and 'destructive' operation on his ankle.
Powers of recovery
Simeon Maskrey KC, barrister for Mr Ebanks-Blake, told London's High Court that his client 'was left unable to play football at all' without relying on steroid injections.
He said that the footballer also claimed that he was not asked for proper consent before the procedure on his ankle.
Martin Forde KC, the barrister for Prof Calder, denied blame for the decline in the footballer's career. He said Mr Ebanks-Blake 'had an overoptimistic view of his own powers of recovery'.
Mr Forde added: 'Far from curtailing the claimant's career, the defendant will argue that his clinical skills prolonged the career of a professional footballer, who had suffered a very serious injury.'
'No reasonable justification'
The Cambridge-born striker had played youth football for Manchester United before working his way up to the Wolves, where he scored 64 goals in 193 appearances between 2007 and 2013.
After a leg fracture at the end of the 2012-13 season, Mr Ebanks-Blake spent the rest of his career at lower and non-league clubs.
He eventually retired after suffering another injury while playing for a non-league club Walsall Wood during the 2019-20 season.
Mr Ebanks-Blake is suing for the loss of a Premier League career at the age of 27, which his barrister said he blames on the ankle surgery performed for 'no reasonable justification' by Prof Calder.
Lawyers for Prof Calder confirmed outside court that Mr Ebanks-Blake values his claim provisionally at over £7m.
At the time of the operation, the average annual salary for a top flight footballer was £1.6 million.
After fracturing his tibia in April 2013, the orthopaedic surgeon operated on Mr Ebanks-Blake's leg, the court heard.
During the operation to fix the bone, the doctor also performed key hole surgery to his ankle which removed cartilage and performed a 'microfracture' procedure in the underlying bone, aimed at provoking new fibrocartilage growth.
Long-term effects
The surgeon says he performed the ankle operation after spotting problems with the cartilage, which he considered could get worse if left alone.
But Mr Ebanks-Blake's lawyers say the operation resulted in 'stiffness and reduction of movement' in his left ankle and called the procedure 'destructive'.
He added that while Mr Ebanks-Blake was advised to have the procedure, he was at the time suffering no symptoms, and would not have consented if he knew the 'significant risk' of long-term effects.
He added that 'the claimant can no longer play football' due to the pain, and has developed 'psychiatric symptoms of depression', which require ongoing physiotherapy and psychological support.
Mr Forde told the judge that Prof Calder denied that the footballer didn't give proper informed consent.
He said: 'Mr Ebanks-Blake was keen to be operated upon...he had several days to discuss treatment with the club doctor.
He added: 'The treatment provided by Prof Calder would be supported by a responsible body of trauma and orthopaedic surgeons with expertise in treating patents within elite sport.'