Vertonghen head injury nightmare
JAN VERTONGHEN has claimed that a head injury affected him for nine months.
The stunning admission from the former Tottenham defender will only heighten the demands for concussion substitutes and stronger protocols to be introduced to football.
Vertonghen, 33, says his problems started after a clash of heads with then team- mate Toby Alderweireld during the Champions League semi- final against Ajax last year.
The Belgium defender, who joined Benfica on a free transfer last summer, was physically sick on the pitch after trying to play on and Tottenham later insisted medical reports showed he did not suffer concussion.
Vertonghen, talking on a podcast about the incident, said: “This is now the first time I speak about it. I should not have continued playing, it affected me
in total for nine months and that’s why I couldn’t bring on the field what I wanted to.
“I just didn’t know what to do. It was game after game and training after training. Every time there was a new impact.
“Then the lockdown came and I was able to rest for two months – after that it was a lot better.”
Vertonghen, right, says specifically that he did not tell anyone – and he does not blame Tottenham or manager Jose Mourinho, who took over from Mauricio Pochettino the following season and did not play him because he was struggling for form. In a frank admission, he revealed: “Lots of people don’t know it, but I suffered a lot from that hit – dizziness ss and headaches.
“Not a lot of people knew it. It was my personal choice. That is not a reproach to anybody.”
When asked whether there was a fear they might not play him, Vertonghen conceded: “Maybe. Maybe And also the image – what does it mean for the rest [ of my career]?
“You know. I am fine now since four or five months. Everybody thought I was angry at Mourinho but, at that moment, I just couldn’t go on any more. I had only one year of my contract left, so I had to play. But when w I played, I played badly.
“The fact I got benched be had nothing to do d with him. I was in a period I could not bring what w I should have.
“I even thought he played pla me a lot compared to how ho I performed.” Premie Premier League clubs are set to vote on introducing concussion substitutes – which will allow players to be brought on temporarily while injuries are assessed – tomorrow if they get the go- ahead from law- makers the International Football Association Board ( IFAB), who will discuss it this week.
The spotlight has been firmly on concussion since the horror injury to Wolves striker Raul Jimenez at Arsenal earlier this month, when David Luiz was allowed to carry on playing despite a head wound, and the raft of former players suffering from dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
Tottenham are aware of Vertonghen’s comments but have stressed that they followed strict concussion protocols.