Tottenham Hotspur's medical team has been slammed by former United States international Taylor Twellman after Jan Vertonghen was forced off with suspected concussion during the first half of Spurs' Champions League semi-final clash with Ajax.
The Belgium international was left with a bloody nose after clashing heads with defensive partner Toby Alderweireld and then appeared to be dizzy and nauseous, as it became apparent he could not continue.
Vertonghen initially tried to continue playing, after being cleared by the medical team on the sideline and the situation being checked by the match official, but it quickly became clear that something was not right and he was withdrawn, appearing to lose his balance and having to be carried to the medical room.
That prompted an angry reaction from Twellman, who made 30 appearances for his national side before seeing his career ended prematurely in 2010 following the effects of a head injury sustained two years prior.
What happened to Tottenham's Jan Vertonghen, why was he substituted and how long will he be out?
His concussion was not diagnosed properly and played just twice in 2009 before his retirement, while in the years since he has founded the THINKTaylor foundation, which supports those with sports-related concussions and aids their recovery.
Posting on Twitter, Twellman could not hide his anger as he wrote: "Vertonghen under NO CIRCUMSTANCES should have been allowed to come back onto the field. DISGUSTING PATHETIC demonstration from Tottenham's medical staff."
The full extent of Vertonghen's injury has not yet been revealed and it remains to be seen whether Mauricio Pochettino will be able to call upon him for next week's second leg in Amsterdam.
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