Wednesday 1 May 2019 20:40, UK
Tottenham have confirmed Jan Vertonghen had "no ill effects" following the head injury he sustained in the 1-0 Champions League defeat to Ajax.
The Belgium defender was left bloodied after a collision with team-mate Toby Alderweireld while attempting to beat Ajax goalkeeper Andre Onana to the ball in the first-half of the semi-final first leg encounter.
Despite initially being treated and returning to the field, the 32-year-old had to quickly go off when he informed club medical staff he was unable to stand up.
Tottenham insist FA concussion guidelines were followed both when he was initially assessed on the pitch and throughout and has now confirmed the player appears to be fine after further assessment.
Vertonghen will continue to be monitored in the coming few days and is set to see a neurologist on Thursday as an additional precaution.
On the injury, Vertonghen tweeted: "Not the way I wanted the game to go last night. Feeling OK today. Thanks to both sets of fans for the positive messages."
The incident has led to Brain injury charity Headway calling for football's authorities to urgently review concussion protocols within the sport in order to assist medical staff in the assessment of players.
Headway spokesperson Luke Griggs said: "It is hugely disappointing that we are once again talking about concussion rather than the game itself.
"Concussion is notoriously difficult to diagnose. The symptoms may be hidden and require the individual to be honest about how they're feeling, while they can also be delayed in their presentation.
"Assessing a player for three minutes - or even five, as was the case with Jan Vertonghen - does not allow for medical staff to make a reliable diagnosis, particularly when this is conducted on the pitch under the gaze of tens of thousands of fans eager for the game to resume.
"The pressure on club medical staff is enormous and unfair, particularly in such high-stakes games such as a Champions League semi-final.
"We believe the time has come for football to introduce temporary concussion substitutions that would allow for longer off-pitch assessments to be conducted."
The proposal of a temporary substitute to accommodate 10-minute head injury assessments has also been endorsed by FIFPro, the worldwide representative for professional footballers.
