Sunderland doctor leaves club following Patrick van Aanholt incident

Press Association Sport understands head of medical services Dr Ishtiaq Rehman has resigned from his post as part of an ongoing review of staffing as new manager David Moyes attempts to build for a better future at the Stadium of Light.

However, his departure comes just days after Moyes was left stunned at having to withdraw 26-year-old Dutch full-back Van Aanholt from his team to face Tottenham at White Hart Lane on September 18 on the advice of a cardiac specialist.

The Scot later expressed his frustration at the timing of the news, which he received barely 30 minutes before kick-off, in the belief it had come from the Football Association's Consensus Panel, a claim swiftly denied by the governing body.

It later emerged that the Black Cats had consulted an independent specialist who by coincidence sits on the FA panel over a potential problem with tests carried out earlier that week, and questions were asked over communication within the club.

Dr Rehman's departure follows that of assistant academy director Danny Philpott last week.

Moyes, who replaced Sam Allardyce at the helm in July, has faced an intensely difficult start to his reign with the club still awaiting a first Premier League win of the season and sitting at the foot of the table heading into Saturday's home clash with West Brom.

The man who built Everton into a top-flight force during an 11-year spell at Goodison Park is convinced he can transform Sunderland's fortunes given time, although his assertion during the early weeks of the campaign that the club was likely to have to fight a fifth successive survival battle did not go down well with some fans.