Morgan Gibbs-White has shared a startling image of the horror injury he suffered during Nottingham Forest’s 3-1 win over Chelsea on Monday.
The England forward was left out of the starting lineup as Vitor Pereira rotated heavily in the nation’s capital, clearly thinking about Forest’s Europa League semi-final second-leg against Aston Villa on Thursday.
Gibbs-White came on at half-time, though, as Forest looked to convert their 2-0 lead into three points, but was unable to complete the second period.
He was involved in a heavy collision with Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez, which saw both men withdrawn from the field of play after receiving considerable treatment on pitch.
And Gibbs-White has now taken to Instagram to share an image of the frightening injury he suffered.
In the picture posted on his Instagram story, a deep cut bound by at least ten stitches runs from above his left eyebrow to the bridge of his nose, with a chunk of gauze stuffed up one nostril.
He does, however, brandish a ‘thumb’s up’ and bear a brave smile, writing in the caption: “Thanks for the messages [fingers crossed emoji, heart emoji].”
Gibbs-White also sent his congratulations to Taiwo Awoniyi, who scored two of Forest’s three goals on the day: “What a win. Congrats [Taiwo Awoniyi].”
Sanchez was also replaced after the incident with heavy bandaging applied to his head and blood clearly dripping from under it.
It remains unclear whether Gibbs-White will be able to help his team-mates in this week’s Villa clash, which comes in just three day’s time. He will likely undergo further testing this week to ensure he did not suffer a concussion.
The same is true of Sanchez, who will hope to return to the pitch when Chelsea visit Liverpool next weekend.
Gibbs-White and Sanchez’s collision did not produce the only head injuries of the day. Chelsea debutant Jesse Derry, 18, was knocked out cold after knocking heads with Zach Abbott. Both were substituted, with the former was hospitalised for precautionary checks. Chelsea have confirmed, however, that he is conscious and speaking.
