Chelsea captain, Spanish international Cesar Azpilicueta, has left the hospital where he has been admitted after suffering concussion in his side’s Premier League defeat to Southampton on Saturday.
The 33-year-old full-back from Navarre had to leave the Stamford Bridge pitch on a stretcher after being unintentionally kicked in the head by opposition striker Sekou Mara. He was given oxygen before being transferred to St Mary’s and Cleveland Hospital.
Blues coach Graham Potter said an hour after the match that the Spanish defender, who briefly lost consciousness on the pitch, was awake and had spoken to his wife.
This Tuesday, the club confirmed that Azpilicueta had attended the team’s training session at Cobham to continue his recovery. «Following the concussion sustained during Saturday’s match against Southampton, Cesar Azpilicueta has been discharged from hospital and is recovering well at Cobham,» the English club said.
«The club’s medical team is closely monitoring Cesar’s condition, following the important concussion protocols in place to ensure his safety. Cesar observed training today, before starting work to return to the field of play,» it continued.
On Sunday afternoon, 24 hours after the incident, the defender posted a photo of himself sitting in hospital with a message of thanks to Chelsea and Southampton staff and doctors.
«From the Chelsea medical team, to teammates and rivals, to St Mary’s and Cleveland Hospital and all the staff and doctors: a huge thank you from the bottom of my heart. I now need time to recover and we will see you on the pitch soon,» he said at the time.
In January, the Premier League wrote to the International Football Association Board, the international body responsible for setting the rules of the game, asking it to test temporary concussion substitutions from the start of next season.
Currently, teams are allowed to make an additional substitution if a player suffers concussion, but it is believed that reversible changes would reduce the pressure on medical staff to make quick decisions about the extent of a player’s injury.
