The Scots businessman behind Optical Express is at the centre of a growing row over the collapse of a private clinic that treats English Premiership footballers including Wayne Rooney.

Optician turned entrepreneur David Moulsdale was a director of the prestigious Bridgewater Hospital in Manchester, whose patients included the Manchester United and England striker, Manchester City's Sergio Aguero and Crystal Palace winger Wilfred Zaha.

The hospital went bust in May this year with debts of nearly £4 million.

However, Mr Moulsdale was a director, but not a shareholder, of a new company that bought the hospital's assets for just £150,000 after its liquidation.

Manchester Labour MP Lucy Powell said: "I understand why people owed money would be cynical about the fact that Mr Moulsdale is a director of the new venture.

"I think that Mr Moulsdale has some important questions to answer as to why this should not be considered a phoenix operation.

"People who were owed money deserve a full explanation."

Documents filed at Companies House show that Mr Moulsdale was a director of its corporate entity, Bridgewater Hospital (Manchester) Limited, a subsidiary of DCM Optical Holdings, the trading name of Optical Express.

He is also a director of the new operator of the hospital, Bridgewater Clinic Limited, which trades as Bridgewater Wellness Clinic.

The sole shareholder of this business is Granada Investments Limited, registered in the offshore tax haven of the Cayman Islands.

This company's correspondence address is the same as both Bridgewater Hospital (Manchester) Limited and Bridgewater Clinic Limited.

A spokeswoman for Optical Express, which is a creditor of the liquidated Bridgewater Hospital Manchester Limited, stressed that assets of the new firm did not include the hospital's building, which is leased.

She said: "Bridgewater Clinic Limited acquired some of the assets of Bridgewater Hospital (Manchester) Limited from the liquidator and also made offers of new employment to some of the employees who they considered would be helpful to establish and build the new business in Manchester.

"David Moulsdale is a director of the new company, but he is not a shareholder."

Liquidators Scott Moncrieff admitted their sale of the hospital's assets was quick. In their creditors' report, they said: "Whilst it is recognised that the assets were not placed on the open market we believe the sale was carried out with a view to achieving the best possible realisation of the assets and represents the best outcome for creditors with minimum disruption to patient care."

They added: "If a sale had not been concluded, we believe the alternative of realising the assets would not have been as beneficial to creditors."

The new company, in a statement issued through Optical Express, earlier said many of the old staff had been offered new jobs. It also suggested that the business would continue to offer eye surgery, a speciality of the Optical Express group.

Optical Express this week featured in a BBC undercover investigation showing that one of its eye experts wrongly claimed RAF pilots had to undergo such surgery.

An optometrist filmed by the BBC also insisted that such procedures were "100% safe".

The company last night distanced itself from such remarks, saying its staff were always told to spell out the potential dangers of laser operations on the eyes.