WORCESTER Warriors say they are "concerned and disappointed" to hear Michael Fatialofa has been handed a bill for his medical treatment.

Fatialofa was treated for a serious neck injury earlier this year, and the understanding was made for the club to fund the first two to three weeks of his treatment at Royal Buckinghamshire Hospital.

The club agreed to pay for four weeks in case it was needed through the RugbyCare scheme, which spreads the cost for the club.

Since then, he has received a bill for his time at Royal Bucks, and Warriors co-owners Colin Goldring and Jason Whittingham said they are standing by the 27 year-old.

In a joint statement, the pair said: "Warriors are, and always have been, committed to supporting Michael Fatialofa in his remarkable and inspiring recovery from the serious spinal injuries he suffered in the Gallagher Premiership match at Saracens on January 4.

"Representatives of the club, including the medical team and the owners, were with Michael and his family at the hospital on the night of the accident and continue to support Michael now.

"We are supporting Michael’s career after rugby, funding the extension of visas for Michael and his wife, Tatiana, even though he is out of contract with the club and providing specialist rehabilitation by the club’s Head of Medical Ryan Kehoe, the most senior member of the Warriors medical team.

"When Michael was discharged from the Intensive Care Unit of St Mary’s Hospital in London in February there were no available beds in specialist spinal units through the NHS at Stoke Mandeville Hospital for two to three weeks.

"Stoke Mandeville is a world class spinal unit but the club had planned to increase Michael’s physiotherapy hours given his needs as a professional athlete."

According to the club, at the expiry of the four weeks they paid for, the NHS was still not ready to provide a bed and Royal Bucks had to continue providing care until the NHS was ready to transfer Fatialofa.

In situations such as this a claim is made to the Clinical Commissioning Group which was done by club doctor Nick Tait

Mr Goldring and Mr Whittingham say the club heard nothing further and RugbyCare have confirmed they were never asked to authorise or fund a further extension by the Royal Bucks.

They added: "We are concerned and disappointed to hear that Michael has received a bill for unpaid medical fees. There are no unpaid fees owed by the club, our booking made by RugbyCare has already been paid in full.

"But we will work closely with the hospital and local Clinical Commissioning Group to understand any issues and help resolve the situation to ensure that Michael can concentrate solely on his rehabilitation at Sixways with the full and continued support of the club.

"We will continue to go over and above what is expected of the club to support Michael and Tatiana financially and practically.

"We appreciate the contribution that every single player that has worn a Warriors shirt over the years has made to the success of the club over the years.

"Michael and Tatiana are important and valued members of the Warriors Family and we will ensure that they are supported and cared for."