Friday, 27 January 2017

Ryan Mason confident he will play for Hull again as club welcome 'excellent progress'



Ryan Mason is certain he will recover and play for Hull City again once he recovers from a fractured skull Credit: GETTY IMAGES
 
Ryan Mason is confident he
will play again for Hull City after he recovers from a fractured skull in a London hospital as his club revealed that he is making “excellent progress.”

It is still too early to say for how long Mason will be sidelined and there are no guarantees he will be allowed to resume his career given the serious nature of the injury, but the former Tottenham Hotspur player is in good spirits as he starts a long rehabilitation process.
 
Doctors are continuing to assess the 25-year-old after he had emergency surgery on Sunday evening to repair the fracture, following a sickening clash of heads with Chelsea's Gary Cahill, but there have been no complications so far. 
 
It is still not known how long Mason will remain in St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, but medical staff are delighted with the way things have gone and Hull have urged people to allow their record signing to get on with the first steps of his recovery free from intrusion.
 

Hull released a statement on Tuesday which said: “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 and his family’s privacy whilst he remains in hospital.”

Several players, including Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cechand former Wolverhampton Wanderers striker Don Goodman have suffered similar injuries and managed to return to competitive action, something which has helped lift Mason’s spirits.

The England international is a determined character and, having been written off by some at Spurs, who never expected him to establish himself as a Premier League midfielder because of a poor injury record at the start of his career, Mason is hoping to make a full recovery.



Rob Price, head of medical services, captain Michael Dawson and club doctor Mark Waller visited Mason on Monday morning Credit: Eddie Mulholland

Hull, though, will only contemplate selecting him again when they have been given the all clear by doctors. It will be a long process and manager Marco Silva must try to find a way to cope without one of his star players as he tries to keep the club in the top flight.

It is likely to be at least four months until Mason is allowed to resume full training, which would suggest he will not play again for the Tigers this season and his absence will be acutely felt.

His team-mates at Hull have been in regular contact with Mason since he came round after surgery on Monday morning and were said to be hugely relieved after fearing the worst when he was carried off the pitch, attached to an oxygen tank at Stamford Bridge.

 


There were initially fears that Mason was fighting for his life in hospital on Sunday evening because he was taken to St Mary’s, a hospital that specialises in serious trauma incidents.

However, a player who has spent time on loan at Yeovil Town, Doncaster Rovers, Millwall and Swindon Town, before breaking into the first team under Mauricio Pochettino at Spurs, was able to speak to visitors on Tuesday and is keen to be released from hospital.