HULL have confirmed that midfielder Ryan Mason is making “excellent progress”.
The 25-year-old suffered a fractured skull and underwent emergency neuro surgery after a sickening clash of heads with Chelsea defender Gary Cahill on Sunday.
Ryan Mason continues to make excellent progress… he will continue to be closely monitored by staff at St Mary’s Hospital over the next few days
A Hull City statement read: “The Club can confirm that Ryan Mason continues to make excellent progress after sustaining a skull fracture in Sunday’s game against Chelsea.
“He will continue to be closely monitored by staff at St Mary’s Hospital over the next few days, whilst also remaining in contact with our medical team to assess his progress.
“There will be no further updates from the club until there are any changes in Ryan’s condition. We also ask that people respect Ryan & his family’s privacy whilst he remains in hospital.”
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Many feared for Mason, who got engaged just ten weeks ago, after he was rushed to hospital following a sickening clash of heads with Cahill at Stamford Bridge.
The former Tottenham man required lengthy treatment on the pitch that required oxygen.
He was then carried off the pitch on a stretcher and rushed to St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, London – one of the top trauma hospitals in the country.
Why 60 minutes is so special
SUN DOCTOR – Carol Cooper on the Ryan Mason incident
RYAN MASON was at London’s St Mary’s Hospital trauma unit within an hour of his sickening collision with Gary Cahill on Sunday.
Medics refer to this 60 minutes as the Golden Hour, in which patients must be seen in a specialist unit to dramatically increase chances of a full recovery.
The Golden Hour in medical emergencies goes back to military medicine in World War Two.
It is just common sense, of course. But many experts dispute its exact length.
Is it really 60 minutes? Or can it be even longer if expert help is given on the field?
Do death rates really go through the roof if you delay for longer than an hour?
The answer is they don’t. On-scene intervention can make all the difference, especially with breathing problems or blood loss.
Hospital remains the place where scans and tests can be done, particularly important in serious head injuries.
That is why Chelsea medical staff did so well to get Mason to St Mary’s so quickly.
Dozens of figures from in and around football wished Mason all the best as tributes flooded in.
The midfielder now appears to be on the mend and was visited by Cahill and Chelsea captain John Terry as well as a number of Hull players, where has been able to chat and joke with them.
Protocols brought into the Premier League after Hugo Lloris was knocked unconscious helped with the treatment Mason received, while brain injury charity Headway were moved to praise the Chelsea and Hull medical teams.
Headway singled out the “exemplary reaction” to the incident on Sunday afternoon.
Chief executive Peter McCabe said: “I was actually at the match and, while it was upsetting to witness the incident, it was encouraging to see the exemplary reaction of the medical teams.
“Headway has been critical of the way in which head injuries have been treated in many high-profile football incidents in recent years, but it is positive to see that lessons appear to have been learned.
“The thoughts of everyone at Headway are with Ryan at this moment, while we also offer our full support to his family.
“At Headway, we know how difficult a time this can be for families. Brain injuries are completely unpredictable and naturally there will be considerable concern and uncertainty as doctors treat a bleed to Ryan’s brain.”