West Ham’s Nikola Vlasic was reduced to tears during West Ham’s Premier League clash with Burnley after his innocuous challenge on Ashley Westwood left the Clarets star requiring lengthy treatment for a horror injury.
The incident in question occurred 22 minutes into a top-flight encounter at the London Stadium and left those on the field visibly distressed.
Westwood, who will now be facing a long road to recovery, was forced to leave the pitch on a stretcher as Vlasic had to be consoled by players from both sides, before the two teams played out a 1-1 draw.
What happened to Ashley Westood?
Westwood gathered a loose ball in the middle of the park, but saw a heavy touch give Vlasic a shot at stealing possession from him.
The Burnley man stuck out a leg to poke the ball wide, but was clattered into by a backtracking Hammers forward who meant no harm.
Westwood’s right leg became stuck underneath him as it bore the full brunt of Vlasic’s weight, as the Croatian came tumbling over his opponent.
It was immediately clear that something serious had happened, with medical staff waved onto the field.
After 10 minutes of treatment, Westwood departed to a standing ovation from both sets of supporters.
Vlasic sunk to his knees as the severity of the injury dawned on everybody in attendance, with Hammers captain Declan Rice among those to offer words of comfort to colleague experiencing pain of his own.
What have Burnley had to say on Westwood's injury?
Burnley interim boss Mike Jackson told reporters at the end of a 1-1 draw when asked for an update on Westwood: "He's gone to hospital and we're waiting for an update. We're hoping he's OK - our thoughts are with him.
"You could see it wasn't good from the reaction of the players. He looked distraught, but fingers crossed.
"When you see Declan Rice come over and say it's not good, you know it's not. The lad himself put his hand up, and he doesn't usually go down.
"It could be the end of his season, but there is a squad here ready to play. Josh Brownhill came in and has done really well."
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