Hopefully it’s not too serious.
Romelu Lukaku was forced off after only eight minutes of play this evening at Old Trafford. The Belgian striker collided in the air with Southampton defender Wesley Hoedt.
The Manchester United striker won an aerial duel but was struck in the back of the head by the centre-back.
The game was stopped for five minutes, as medical staff took extreme caution with Lukaku, who appeared to be unconscious after the nasty clash of heads.
Lukaku head injury being assessed by @ManUtd medics. Ambulances on hand if needed as always the case.
— Simon Stone (@sistoney67) December 30, 2017
He was given an oxygen mask as he was taken off the field to applause from both sets of fans.
There were doubts over whether Lukaku would start today’s match against Southampton. Having played every minute of Premier League football this season prior to today’s game, Jose Mourinho and his star striker discussed giving him a rest, but decided he should play.
After the incident, he was replaced by Marcus Rashford, who was initially given a rest today as Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Juan Mata came back into the starting eleven.
United will miss Lukaku’s presence in attack, but should they still win, they will go second, reducing the gap between them and Manchester City to 12 points. Although, City play Crystal Palace tomorrow, so it will almost certainly go back to 15 before the turn of the year.
We will keep you updated on Lukaku’s condition.
