Nottingham Forest star striker Taiwo Awoniyi is in an induced coma. This comes after having the first phase of surgery on a serious abdominal injury.
The Nigeria international, 27, collided with the post in the 88th minute of the 2-2 draw against Leicester at the City Ground on Sunday as he attempted to get on the end of a cross from Anthony Elanga.
Sources have told BBC Sport that Awoniyi suffered a ruptured intestine in the collision.
He had surgery on Monday night and remains in the hospital, with the rest of the procedure set to be completed on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, Forest said Awoniyi was “recovering well” following the operation.
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Taiwo Awoniyi, a late substitute for Ibrahim Sangare on Sunday, received lengthy treatment on the pitch.
Elanga was in an offside position when he collected the ball but the assistant referee did not raise their flag until after Awoniyi’s collision.
When an immediate goalscoring opportunity is likely to occur, assistant referees are told to keep their flag down until the passage of play is complete.
If a goal is scored, the incident can then be reviewed by the video assistant referee (VAR).
Although this allows goals to be scored, critics say the protocol needlessly endangers players.
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Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis took to the field after the game to express his concern to manager Nuno Espirito Santo over how Awoniyi’s injury was handled.
Marinakis is being kept updated on the forward’s condition.
On Tuesday, Forest said Awoniyi’s injury was “a powerful reminder of the physical risks in the game and why a player’s health and wellbeing must always come first”.
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Speaking to BBC Sport, consultant colorectal surgeon Gillian Tierney said the type of injury Awoniyi suffered can be fatal.
“The injury is really serious. It is potentially life-threatening,” said Tierney.
“It is very easy to miss at the point of contact and can take hours to diagnose.
“In a hospital setting, we would send a patient for a CT scan, which could take up to 10 hours.
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“If it occurred to an athlete who was super fit, very muscular and was running on adrenaline, then I think it would be extremely understandable to miss it. Fluid leaking from the intestine would not be easy to diagnose straight away.
“Surgery is usually required and the stomach would be opened up. The morality stat is 9%. So if an athlete – who went through the procedure – was really fit, they would stand a good chance of being OK.
“It would be different if the operation occurred for an 80-year-old who has other health issues.”
