Chelsea's Jesse Derry speaks out after frightening head injury during Premier League debut

Derry has since said on Instagram, 'I can't wait to be back playing in front of everyone very soon' -Credit:Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images

The entire Stamford Bridge crowd applauded as Derry was removed from the field, before he was transported to St. Mary's Hospital - located just over three miles from Chelsea's stadium. Derry has since taken to social media to acknowledge those who assisted him, as per football.london.

Posting on Instagram, Derry wrote: "A dream come true to start at Stamford Bridge for my Premier League debut. I'd like to thank all the Chelsea medical staff, everyone at St. Mary's Hospital, my teammates and all the fans for their great support.

"I can't wait to be back playing in front of everyone very soon."

Interim head coach McFarlane was asked about Derry post-match, and said: "We're hearing positive signs from Jesse and Rob [Sanchez, who was also taken off after a head collision with Morgan Gibbs-White] and I hope the Nottingham Forest players are okay as well. But yeah, I'm pleased for Jesse's performance.

"I thought he performed well while he was on the pitch, but there's probably more important things to think about right now."

With two significant collisions resulting in four players — two from each side — being substituted during Chelsea's 3-1 loss to Forest, Abbott was the sole 'concussion sub' during the match in West London, according to sources. While neither Derry nor Sanchez were withdrawn as a 'concussion sub', the Blues will nonetheless follow standard protocols with both players.

That has raised questions over Sanchez and whether he will feature in Saturday's trip to Anfield to face Liverpool. The FA's 'graduated return to play' (GRTP) protocol states 'this staged programme commences at midnight on the day of injury and stage 1 [initial rest period] is 14 days in all players unless they are in an enhanced care setting. In all cases, progression to stage 2 of the GRTP can only occur if the player has no symptoms'.

There are six stages involved in the FA's GRTP. Stage one 'is an initial rest period during which symptoms should resolve. This stage must be extended if symptoms persist.' Stage two, three, four and five are all 'training based activity,' with stage six: 'return to full training and match play.'

Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez also left Monday's game after suffering a head injury, as did Zach Abbott and Morgan Gibbs-White for Nottingham Forest -Credit:Adrian Dennis / AFP via Getty Images

Here is additional detail on the six stages:

Stage 1

• Complete body and brain rest

• No training

• Recovery

• No symptoms at the end of the two weeks

Stage 2

• Walking, light jogging, swimming, stationary cycling or equivalent

• No soccer, resistance training, weight lifting, jumping, or hard running

• All of this being done with the player's heart rate less than 70%

• No more than 15 minutes

Stage 3

• Simple movement activities, e.g. running drills

• Limit body and head movement

• No head impact activities, including no heading

• All of this being done with the player's heart rate less than 80%

• No more than 45 minutes

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Stage 4

• Progression to more complex training activities with increased intensity, coordination and attention e.g. passing, change of direction, shooting, small-sided game

• May start resistance training

• No head impact activities, including no heading - goalkeeping activities should avoid diving and any risk of the head being hit by the ball

• All of this being done with the player's heart rate less than 90%

• No more than 60 minutes

Stage 5

• Normal training activities e.g. tackling, heading, diving saves

Stage 6

• Player rehabilitated and then they can return to play

Is there a confirmed return date?

No confirmed return date exists for players dealing with a concussion. Should a player fall short at any of the above stages, the protocol will be prolonged. The timeline varies entirely based on progress through each stage.