Van de Ven Signs £245k-a-Week Deal While Injured: What UK Workers Can Claim When Illness Sidelines Them

Micky van de Ven put pen to paper on a new five-year contract with Tottenham Hotspur on 10 August 2026, securing a deal worth £64 million that makes him the club's highest-paid player at £245,000 a week — a 172% rise on his previous salary. The timing could not have been more striking: van de Ven had not featured in a single pre-season minute following his involvement with the Netherlands at the World Cup, and head coach Roberto De Zerbi immediately ruled him out of the Premier League opener against Brentford. Rival clubs including Liverpool and Barcelona had been tracking the Dutch defender. Spurs committed anyway, banking on his long-term value over his short-term fitness.

For the millions of UK workers who face income uncertainty every time illness or injury sidelines them, the contrast is instructive. Football's elite have watertight contracts that guarantee wages regardless of fitness. For everyone else, the rules are less generous — but far stronger than most employees realise. Here are the questions your employer cannot dodge.

What Does UK Law Guarantee When You Cannot Work Through Illness?

Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) is the legal floor. Under the Statutory Sick Pay (General) Regulations, employees who have been off sick for more than three consecutive calendar days become entitled to SSP from day four onwards. The current SSP rate and eligibility rules are published and regularly updated on GOV.UK. To qualify, you must be classed as an employee — not self-employed or a worker — earn above the lower earnings limit of £123 a week, and have notified your employer of your absence according to their reporting procedure.

Your employer pays SSP directly, for up to 28 weeks of absence. After 28 weeks, you may become entitled to Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) through the Department for Work and Pensions, depending on your National Insurance contribution record.

Many employers go further than the legal minimum with occupational sick pay schemes — full pay for a set period, tapering to half pay, then SSP. If your employment contract or staff handbook commits your employer to this, that promise is legally binding as a contractual term. Withholding it without just cause gives you grounds to bring a claim.

Can Your Employer Dismiss You While You Are Off Sick?

Yes — but only if they follow a fair, documented process and can demonstrate one of the legal grounds for dismissal. The most relevant ground in absence cases is "capability." Under the Employment Rights Act 1996, dismissal on capability grounds can be fair, but only after the employer has genuinely attempted the following steps:

First, commissioning a medical report — usually through an occupational health referral — to assess the diagnosis, prognosis, and realistic timeline for return. Second, considering whether the condition might qualify as a disability under the Equality Act 2010, which would trigger a duty to make reasonable adjustments before any dismissal decision. Third, consulting meaningfully with the employee about their situation, the likelihood of recovery, and any alternative arrangements such as phased returns, adjusted duties, or a move to a different role within the organisation. Fourth, following a fair capability procedure consistent with the ACAS Code of Practice on Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures.

Skipping these steps does not make the dismissal impossible; it makes it unlawful. Employees with at least two years of continuous service can bring an unfair dismissal claim at an Employment Tribunal. Where the illness also qualifies as a disability, there is no minimum service threshold for a discrimination claim.

What If Your Illness Is Caused by Work?

This changes the legal picture significantly. If your condition was triggered or worsened by your working conditions — physical demands, unsafe practices, excessive workload, or failure to act on reported symptoms — you may have a personal injury claim in addition to your employment law options. The standard limitation period is three years from the date you first had knowledge of the injury and its cause, under the Limitation Act 1980.

Employers carry a duty of care under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. Failing to risk-assess physically demanding roles, ignoring warning signs reported by the employee, or continuing to demand performance when medical advice requires rest can all found a negligence claim. Damages can cover past and future lost earnings, pain and suffering, and rehabilitation costs.

When Does a Recurring Injury Become a Disability in Law?

Van de Ven's career has been punctuated by hamstring and muscular injuries. In legal terms, a recurring physical condition can still meet the disability threshold even if symptoms come and go. The Equality Act 2010 defines disability as a physical or mental impairment that has, or is likely to have, a substantial and long-term adverse effect on the ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. "Long-term" means 12 months or more, or likely to last that long — even if the impairment is intermittent.

Once the threshold is met, employers must make reasonable adjustments to remove or reduce the disadvantage caused by the disability. Failing to do so, or treating an employee less favourably because of their condition, is unlawful. The scope of "reasonable adjustments" is broad: it can include home working, modified hours, different equipment, or temporary reassignment.

The same principle that protects a player with a recurring hamstring problem protects the warehouse operative with chronic lower back pain or the office worker with a fluctuating mental health condition. The law does not draw a distinction based on who you are — only on whether the condition meets the statutory definition.

A Concrete Case: What Happens to a Construction Supervisor Sidelined for Six Months

Consider Daniel, a 34-year-old site supervisor in Leeds who tears his Achilles tendon in July 2026. His employer's contract offers three months of full sick pay at his usual rate of £2,800 a month, followed by three months at half pay, then SSP. The arithmetic of his six-month absence breaks down as follows:

• Months 1–3: £8,400 in full occupational sick pay
• Months 4–6: £4,200 in half pay
• Total employer payment over six months: £12,600

At week 28, if Daniel is still absent, SSP stops entirely. His injury — which required surgery and a physiotherapy programme lasting at least 14 months — almost certainly meets the Equality Act disability definition given the prognosis extends well beyond 12 months.

The if/then test: If Daniel's employer issues a dismissal letter at month five without having commissioned an occupational health report, explored reasonable adjustments such as a supervisory role at a less physically demanding site, or held a formal consultation meeting — then that dismissal is almost certainly unfair. A tribunal can award up to £21,908 in a basic unfair dismissal award (2026 statutory cap), but there is no cap on compensation in disability discrimination cases. Where career earnings are lost, six-figure awards are not unusual.

The procedural gap matters independently: a failure to follow the ACAS Code of Practice entitles a tribunal to increase any final award by up to 25%. In Daniel's case, with annual earnings of around £33,600, even a modest discrimination finding could produce a substantial award once future earnings and injury to feelings are included.

This is the legal reality that separates Van de Ven's contractual certainty from the position of most UK workers — not the absence of rights, but the willingness to assert them.

What to Do If Your Sick Pay Is Being Withheld or Your Role Is Under Threat

Employment Tribunal claims carry a strict time limit: three months less one day from the act complained of. Acting early is essential. The recommended steps are:

1. Obtain your employment contract and staff handbook. These define your contractual sick pay entitlement and any capability procedure your employer must follow.
2. Raise a formal grievance if sick pay is withheld in breach of your contract. This creates a written record and may prompt swift resolution.
3. Assess whether your condition is likely to qualify as a disability under the Equality Act — if it does, the protections available to you are substantially stronger.
4. Consult a solicitor early. Many employment solicitors offer a free initial appointment. No-win, no-fee arrangements are common for tribunal claims, meaning cost should not be a barrier to advice. Expert Zoom connects you with verified employment law solicitors across the UK.
5. Contact ACAS. The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service provides free, confidential guidance and can facilitate early conciliation before a formal tribunal claim is issued.

As Tottenham's management weighed Van de Ven's long-term value against his short-term unavailability — and chose to invest — UK employment law asks employers to make the same calculation for every worker. Unlike van de Ven, you do not have £245,000 a week to fall back on during a period of illness. But you do have rights, and they are enforceable.

This article contains general legal information for guidance purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Employment law is highly fact-specific. If you are facing a sick pay dispute or dismissal while absent through illness, consult a qualified employment solicitor.