It was obvious that Lucas Bergvall got his bell well and truly rung early on in the 1-0 home loss to Chelsea two weeks ago. The Swedish international midfielder took a ball to the noggin inside two minutes and looked dazed on the pitch, even as he was getting looked over by Tottenham Hotspurs physios. If this were five years ago, hed likely have been allowed to continue, but Premier Leagues concussion protocol mandated that he be withdrawn after exhibiting symptoms. He missed the rest of the match as well as Tottenhams next two matches against Copenhagen in the Champions League and the 2-2 draw vs. Manchester United.
It was thought that he was ready to ease back into competition during the international break after he was called up to play for Sweden in World Cup qualifiers at Switzerland and home to Slovenia. But Swedish outlet Aftonbladet reported yesterday that Bergvall has withdrawn from camp and returned to London after a setback in training.
The Sweden football federation made the following announcement, which confirms Bergvall is still exhibiting long-tail effects from the concussion:
Sweden national team director Stefan Petersson confirmed that Bergvalls withdrawal was done out of an abundance of caution.
Its certainly a bummer for Lucas, but it remains the right call to prioritize the health and safety of an athlete. Concussions are no joke, but they were almost treated as one for a long time in football, and its good that this has changed. While getting some playing time minutes under his belt for Sweden couldve been a good thing for Lucas as he works his way back to fitness, it wouldnt be if hes still in recovery, which he clearly is.
This means the earliest Bergvall might be available is Tottenhams next match the North London Derby next weekend or possibly the Champions League match away at PSG.