Chelsea winger Jesse Derry has expressed his excitement towards a swift return to action after seeing his Premier League debut cut short by a gruesome head injury.
The 18-year-old was drafted in for his first league start in Monday’s 3–1 defeat to Nottingham Forest but had to be stretchered off in first half stoppage time after suffering a nasty head injury in a collision with Forest’s Zach Abbott.
While Abbott was able to leave the field on his own two feet, Derry required 10 minutes of treatment on the pitch before being stretchered off and taken to hospital.
Chelsea confirmed Derry was conscious and communicating in the immediate aftermath of the incident, and now the youngster has taken to social media with a brief update of his own.
“A dream come true to start at Stamford Bridge for my Premier League debut,” Derry wrote.
“I’d like to thank all the Chelsea medical staff, everyone at St Mary’s Hospital, my teammates, and all the fans for their great support. I can’t wait to be back playing in front of everyone very soon.”
Derry Did Enough to Earn Another Chance When Ready
A typical concussion protocol requires a period of rest of up to 12 days, meaning Derry will almost certainly be forced to sit out this weekend’s trip to Liverpool and the FA Cup final against Manchester City. In the best-case scenario, he could return for the visit of Tottenham Hotspur on May 19.
When Derry is ready, he deserves the chance to replicate what was promising to be an encouraging performance on the left of Chelsea’s attack.
The youngster’s inexperience at the highest level was clear to see, but so was his determination and desire to make something happen, which has not always been apparent in Chelsea’s crop of senior wingers.
With Jamie Gittens and Estêvão injured and Mykhailo Mudryk suspended, only Pedro Neto and Alejandro Garnacho remain as competition for Derry. Neto sits at the top of the pecking order when fit but has not set a particularly high bar on the stats sheet with five goals and four assists in 32 Premier League outings.
A lack of creativity out wide has been among the top sources of on-field frustration for Chelsea fans, who responded well to Derry’s ambition and energy levels before his promising outing was brought to an ugly end.
The priority needs to be making sure Derry is healthy, but once he is cleared to return to action, Calum McFarlane should not hesitate to give the youngster another chance.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Jesse Derry: Chelsea Youngster Sends Message After Horror Head Injury.
