Brighton & Hove Albion defender Jan Paul van Hecke was rushed to hospital after being stretchered off during the Seagulls’ 4-2 Premier League defeat against Brentford. The centre-back needed to be given oxygen and placed in a neck brace after a late collision.
Bryan Mbeumo netted a brace before Yoane Wissa and Christian Norgaard sealed the victory for Thomas Frank’s men on an afternoon to forget for Fabian Hurzeler’s Brighton. Danny Welbeck and Kaoru Mitoma found the net for the visitors, but Joao Pedro’s 61st-minute red card left them fighting a losing battle.
Despite the disappointing result in their search for European football, the biggest concern for those associated with the club will be the well-being of Van Hecke. An update is yet to be given by the club on how the defender is doing since being taken to hospital.
Jan Paul van Hecke Involved in Nasty Collision
The defender received eight minutes of treatment before being stretchered off
The match was delayed for just shy of 10 minutes as Van Hecke received treatment for a head injury picked up in a collision with Brentford’s Yunus Konak. Hurzeler had no update to provide in his post-match press conference after the Netherlands international was taken off the pitch on a stretcher.
Konak was, thankfully, able to walk off the field by himself, as he also had to be withdrawn due to the incident. Van Hecke initially sat up while the medical team attended to him on the G-tech Community Stadium pitch, but was then laid down and placed in a neck brace.
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If the 24-year-old is discovered to have suffered a concussion, he will not be able to return to action for at least six days, per the Premier League’s concussion protocols. The game eventually ended after hitting the 110-minute mark, with extra care taken over Van Hecke’s situation.
He had only just returned to the Brighton starting line-up after being suspended for the 2-2 draw at home against Leicester City last week. This came as a result of the red card he received in his last outing against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.
