Manchester United coach Mark Dempsey is RELEASED after being rushed to hospital having suffered from ‘dehydration and exhaustion’ during club’s pre-season tour and will fly back to England
- Manchester United confirmed on Saturday that Mark Dempsey will return home
- The first-team coach will fly back after he was discharged from hospital in Perth
- He was rushed to Royal Perth Infirmary on Friday after being taken ill overnight
- Dempsey missed United’s opening pre-season game against Perth Glory
Manchester United have confirmed that first-team coach Mark Dempsey will return home from the club’s pre-season tour after he was discharged from hospital in Perth.
The 55-year-old was rushed to Royal Perth Infirmary on Friday on the advice of United’s club doctor after being taken ill overnight at the team hotel.
Dempsey missed the team’s opening game against Perth Glory at the Optus Stadium on Saturday, and afterwards United announced that he will fly home.
Mark Dempsey will fly back to Manchester after being taken ill on the club’s pre-season tour
A statement read: ‘Mark Dempsey will be discharged from hospital following assessment and treatment. Due to the intensity of the Tour schedule we have decided together it’s best for him to return home.’
Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who has previously worked with Dempsey at Molde and Cardiff, confirmed that his coach was heading home to his family in Lancashire.
‘Mark’s been assessed and discharged,’ said Solskjaer. ‘I’ve been to see him today and we’ve agreed it’s best he’ll return home now and then we’ll see him when we come back.’
On Friday, Australian news channel 9 News reported that a male in his 50s was taken by ambulance to Royal Perth Hospital from the Crown Towers hotel, where the United squad are based. It was later confirmed that it was Dempsey.
Ambulance staff are seen rushing into the Royal Perth Hospital on Friday – footage by 7 News
Ambulance staff arrive at hospital alongside heavy security presence at around 3pm local time
A yellow sheet is held up by the entrance of the hospital in Perth to give some privacy
Dempsey was seen arriving at the hospital under heavy security around 3pm local time on Friday, with his face hidden behind a sheet as he was wheeled in, as seen in the footage by 7 News.
After the news emerged, Dempsey’s wife – at home in Lancashire – told The Sun she had spoken to her husband.
She said: ‘So everything is fine. I’ve just spoken to him now.
‘He’s still in hospital but maybe he’ll be released in the morning. They’re keeping him in for observation. He’s on a drip because he’s dehydrated.’
Dempsey was on United’s books as a player between 1982 and 1986. Most recently he had been managing in Scandinavia before returning to Old Trafford as part of Solskjaer’s backroom team.
The luxury Crown Towers hotel in Perth where United are staying during their pre-season tour
