Irish Prime Minister blasts 'horrific' Taylor tackle as Coleman undergoes surgery

Ireland Prime Minister Enda Kenny has slammed the horrific tackle from Neil Taylor that left Seamus Coleman with a broken leg.

Coleman underwent surgery on Saturday after suffering the injury in Republic of Ireland's 0-0 World Cup qualifying draw against Wales on Friday.

Taylor's tackle 21 minutes from the end of the match resulted in a red card for the Aston Villa man, a challenge which left the Everton defender with a fractured right tibia and fibula.

Taylor 'despondent' after horror tackle

The tackle even drew attention from Kenny, who is in Rome for a European Union summit.

“I thought it was a horrific tackle, a compound fracture, of the Irish captain. It’s a very, very bad blow for Seamus Coleman,” Kenny said.

“I hope the surgeons can mend that in a way that he can continue to play again, which is obviously a great challenge for him.

“It’s not usual to find that level of ferocity in tackles in the beautiful game these days, so good luck to Seamus in his recovery.”

A statement released by the Irish FA confirmed that surgeons have operated on the right-back, who faces a long spell on the sidelines.

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"Seamus suffered a serious leg injury and has undergone surgery. He has had an exceptional season with both club and country, and he will be a big loss," Ireland head coach Martin O'Neill was quoted as saying.

"But Seamus is so mentally strong that when he has fully recovered he will be as brilliant as before."

Ireland are level with Serbia at the top of World Cup qualifying Group D with 11 points after five games. O'Neill's side take on Iceland in a friendly on Tuesday.