Jan Vertonghen has been advised to briefly avoid training, making the Tottenham defender a major doubt for Saturday’s trip to Bournemouth following the head injury he suffered against Ajax.
Much has been written and said about the way Vertonghen’s head injury was dealt with. The Belgian was involved in a sickening clash with teammate Toby Alderweireld and appeared to faint after initially being deemed fit enough to return to the action.
Confusion over the role of Spurs’ medical staff has now been cleared up. According to a club statement, concussion protocol checks were carried out and Vertonghen passed those tests, but an independent neurologist has suggested the centre-back came close to fainting as a result of heavy bleeding.
Consequently, Tottenham have been advised that Vertonghen should “undertake a brief period of rehabilitation before returning to training”, meaning it is unlikely the 32-year-old will travel with the rest of the squad for Saturday’s crucial Premier League meeting with Bournemouth.
While it’s a shame Vertonghen will miss the match, his health comes first. What’s more, Spurs will hope the ex-Ajax man will be able to rest up and recover in time for next week’s reverse fixture against his former club.
