Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has been given the all clear and has been discharged from hospital. The Belgian was given the go ahead to play in his national side's Euro 2016 qualifer against Andorra on Thursday, despite suffering a head injury in the game against Arsenal on Sunday.
A coming together with Alexis Sanchez in the 10th minute appeared to knock Courtois flat out, but after being examined - albeit somewhat briefly - by the Chelsea medical staff, he continued for another fourteen minutes. He was then removed from the action, seemingly bleeding from the ear, replaced by Petr Cech, and sent off to hospital for what were described as merely 'precautionary tests'.
'Courtois is expected to report for international duty'
- Club statement
Thankfully, the injury was far from serious, and the Chelsea official club statement Monday made no mention of the perceived concussion, instead mentioning 'a minor cut to the ear' and suggesting that he will indeed be fit to play for his national side on Thursday. In a debate that has escalated tenfold over the last twelve months, it is good to see that Chelsea eventually took the precaution of substituting the goalkeeper - even if it did not happen immediately after the collision.
However, the chief executive of brain injury charity Headway, Peter McCabe, said on his website that Chelsea's medical staff acted wrongly: “The new rules introduced this season were designed to ensure no risks to players’ health were taken. They clearly state that ‘If there is any suspicion of the player having sustained a concussion, they must be removed from the field of play, and not allowed to return.’ This incident calls into question whether these rules are working effectively. It is hard to understand how a concussion was not suspected following the sickening clash.”
It is a debate that is sure to rage on, but for now it is a relief for all to see that Courtois will be fine. Indeed, he posted on his Twitter account that he was feeling well and looking forward to playing again: 'Thanks for all the messages! I'm already feeling better. Now I'm resting to be recovered and back on the pitch soon. Great victory yesterday."
It remains to be seen whether Belgium manager Marc Wilmots will rest Courtois in light of this injury, but the goalkeeper's tweet suggests he could start against Andorra come Thursday.