Ex-Man Utd wonderkid banished to train on his own and put through ‘torturous' sessions to force him out of club
A FORMER Manchester United hot prospect was forced into "torturous" training sessions in a bid to make him quit his club.
But amid the brutal regime, he was driven on by a supportive coach urging him: "Don't let them break you".
3
3
Midfielder Ryan Tunnicliffe is the player at the centre of the amazing claims Down Under.
He was at Old Trafford from 2009-2014, featuring alongside future heroes like Paul Pogba and earning England caps at Under-16 and U-17 level.
Tunnicliffe, now 32, went on to have decent spells with Fulham, Millwall, Luton and Portsmouth.
But a move to Australian team Adelaide United on a two-year deal in 2023 went less than smoothly.
And Tunnicliffe's troubles peaked when the club's technical director Ernest Faber wanted him out - according to 7NEWS Adelaide.
The Australian broadcaster revealed whistleblowing claims by former assistant Travis Dodd.
The former Adelaide player, 45, suggested that ex-coach Carl Veart was undermined by Faber last season.
Dodd reckoned Faber asked players to pick the team without telling Veart.
And it's reckoned Tunnicliffe was caught up in the situation.
He only played four minutes last season before departing in May - with Veart also leaving after five years in charge, as well as Dodd.
New Man Utd star Matheus Cunha runs rings around pals as he plays 5-a-side on streets in his hometown
And it's alleged Tunnicliffe faced a bizarre ordeal as he struggled for game time.
7News Adelaide reported that Faber "forced unwanted import Ryan Tunnicliffe to train on his own, putting him through torturous running sessions in the hope he would quit the club".
Dodd told the TV channel: "I said, 'Mate, don't let them break you'. He goes, 'I can do it'.
"And, credit to him, for two weeks he rocked up when he was asked to rock up, did what he was asked to do, and seemingly Ernest (Faber) had had enough after two weeks and let him rejoin the first-team squad."
Former Adelaide player Josh Cavallo alleged on the 7News Facebook comment section that he too suffered because of Faber.
The ex-Socceroos U-20 ace, 25, claimed Veart was "under clear instructions by the people above him" not to pick him.
3
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
25 minutes ago
- The Independent
Why the Premier League has fined Man City £1m
Manchester City have been fined more than £1m by the Premier League for breaching the rules around delayed kick-offs and restarts nine times last season, England's top-flight league said on Thursday. The fine comes a year after City paid £2m to the league for breaching the same game-delay rules. The club accepted and apologised for the rule breaches, and confirmed they have reminded their players and staff of their responsibilities in complying with the rules. "Rules relating to kick-offs and re-starts help ensure the organisation of the competition is set at the highest possible professional standard and provides certainty to fans and participating clubs," the league said in a statement. "It also ensures the broadcast of every Premier League match is kept to schedule." Fines totalling £1m pounds were imposed relating to City's home games against Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur, Nottingham Forest, Manchester United, West Ham United and Newcastle United and their away fixtures against Crystal Palace, Aston Villa and Ipswich Town. The longest game delays were two minutes 22 seconds each for restarts v West Ham and Ipswich. City are awaiting the verdict of 115 unrelated charges of alleged breaches of the Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules. The charges cover a period starting from 2009 and continuing into the 2022-23 season. City have always denied any wrongdoing.
Daily Mail
27 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Real Madrid issue Kylian Mbappe health update after star was hospitalised at Club World Cup
Kylian Mbappe has been discharged from hospital after the Real Madrid star fell ill at the Club World Cup. Mbappe had missed Real Madrid's opening match of the tournament on Wednesday due to an illness. An update from the club on Thursday confirmed Mbappe had been admitted to hospital. 'Our player Kylian Mbappe is suffering from an acute case of gastroenteritis and has been admitted to hospital in order to undergo a series of tests and follow the appropriate course of treatment,' a statement read. But the France captain is thought to be recovering, with the club announcing on Thursday evening that he is set to continue with 'specific medical treatment' away from hospital. Mbappe could yet return to the competition, with the club suggesting that the player 'will gradually return to team activity. Mbappe, pictured in training on Sunday, was forced to miss Real Madrid's opening match Real Madrid boss Xabi Alonso had been asked about Mbappe's condition following their 1-1 draw against Al-Hilal. Alonso was cautious in predicting whether Mbappe would be available for their second group match on Sunday 'We´ll have to see how he feels,' Alonso said. 'The last day he went through significant viral issues, so we´ll have to wait and assess closer to the game.' Gastroenteritis, a stomach bug characterised by diarrhoea and vomiting, typically lasts less than a week. Acute cases, however, can last up to around 14 days with fever and dehydration among the symptoms. Should Mbappe's symptoms last for a fortnight, it could rule him out up until the quarter-finals of the competition while his conditioning would likely be a doubt. Real Madrid will face Mexican side Pachuca in their second match of the tournament, with Alonso hoping for an improved performance. Los Blancos will then face Red Bull Salzburg in their final group match on June 26. Real Madrid been frustrated in the opening match in Miami after Gonzalo Garcia's goal was cancelled out by a Ruben Neves penalty. The 21-year-old forward had led the line amid Mbappe's absence. Real Madrid had missed the chance to win the match in stoppage time as Federico Valverde's penalty was saved.
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Lions centres a 'southern hemisphere' pairing
Australia head coach Joe Schmidt described Bundee Aki and Sione Tuipulotu as a "southern hemisphere centre partnership" when running the rule over Andy Farrell's first British and Irish Lions Lions take on Argentina at the Aviva Stadium on Friday night in what is their only fixture before a nine-game game tour of Aki and Scotland's Tuipulotu, born in New Zealand and Australia respectively, will be the Lions' midfield pairing against the Pumas despite both players more usually starting at inside centre. Schmidt gave Aki his Ireland debut after the 35-year-old Connacht man qualified on residency in 2017, while Tuipulotu has been able to captain Gregor Townsend's side thanks to a grandmother born in Greenock."A southern hemisphere centre partnership that will be pretty formidable," said Schmidt at the media conference to confirm his squad for next month's game against Fiji. Schmidt added: "I coached Bundee for several years and know him really well and respect him massively as a player. He's a great contributor to the team environment."I've only had glancing conversations with Sione but again, by all accounts a champion bloke. You don't get to be captain of a national team without being a great bloke and really professional in those high-performance environments."That eight of Andy Farrell's 38-man squad were born overseas has been a talking point before the side make the trip down assistant coach Richard Wigglesworth was later asked about Schmidt's comments and said every player involved in the tour has "earned the right" to represent the side."I don't know if they are questioning their commitment. Everyone has earned the right to pull on the Lions jersey," said the former England scrum-half."They are, to a man, incredibly proud to be here. "It is not your background or how you have got here, it's what sort of player you are and what sort of man you are. We have got great men and great players."
