The tackle happened just before the hour-mark at the halfway line in the tense Premier League clash. The Leeds defender appears to attempt to reach around Elliot to tackle and win the ball.

Struijk’s trailing leg landed on top of the 18-year-old’s foot and his body weight caused a severe dislocation in Elliott’s leg.

There was visible distress on the faces of the Liverpool and Leeds players. Craig Pawson spared no time in showing the Dutch defender a red card.

Elliott was rushed to hospital and it is now confirmed that the teenager dislocated his ankle.

Class from Harvey Elliott pic.twitter.com/q1RS91gKvu

— SPORTbible (@sportbible) September 12, 2021

How will the red card affect Leeds?

This red card for Struijk spells even more bad news for Leeds after defender Diego Llorente was taken off injured after half an hour. Along with a sidelined Robin Koch, the Whites only have one remaining center half, captain Liam Cooper.

They may now be forced to play fullback Luke Ayling in the center for their next few matches.

"If he hadn't of broken his ankle, would he have sent him off? I don't think he would."

Jamie Redknapp disagrees with the decision to send off Pascal Struijk for his challenge on Harvey Elliott pic.twitter.com/pL2p8B6Yl8

— Football Daily (@footballdaily) September 12, 2021

Can Leeds review the three-game ban?

Struijk’s three-match ban would last until Saturday, 2nd October. He will miss matches against Newcastle and West Ham in the Premier League as well as Fulham in the EFL Cup.

The Leeds owner spoke in a live interview with Sky Sports about the incident:

“Obviously, the accident, it was hard for him and I wish the boy a full recovery, I hope we can get that soon, but this is part of football.

“It’s really difficult to take a red card like that and for me, it wouldn’t even be a yellow, but I feel sorry for the boy and the injury could be difficult for him.”

The incident has drawn similarities to the Heung-Min Son tackle on Andre Gomes more than a year ago. After a review, the Spurs winger had his ban rescinded and many expect the same to happen to Struijk.

The post Leeds looking to appeal Struijk’s red card ban appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

Athletes who can be as tall as six foot eight inches and as wide as 26 stone are leaving the sport due to structural changes to their brains caused by high tackles, the Foundation has said.

The Drake Foundation say that medical evidence and recent cases’ of brain abnormalities among stars foreshadows a concerning future for the sport.

Founder James Drake said to MailOnline that the tackles during the Lions’ tour of South Africa had brought the issue back into focus.

Mr Drake told MailOnline: “We believe that elite rugby, in its current format, is an unsafe sport.

“The long-term consequences of these brain structure abnormalities are unknown and require further research.

“But taken together with existing evidence across different sports, as well as recent cases of rugby players being diagnosed with brain diseases in their 40s, they are painting a concerning picture when it comes to players’ long-term brain health.”

He added: “Players are getting bigger, impacts are becoming harder, so it is only right that we see meaningful changes to rugby to ensure that player welfare is the number one priority for the sport.”

Drake cited head impacts in the matches as a cause for concern, including Dan Biggar being kneed in the ruck.

The Drake Foundation’s calls to improve the safety of the game follow the release of a report on the topic.

The report involves the Rugby Football Union in England which found that 23 per cent of 44 elite stars between 2017 and 2019 had experienced changes to their brains.

The study, published last month, said rugby players had abnormalities to the white matter and changes in the white matter volume – white matter is important for cognitive ability.

It also found that half of the rugby players involved had an unexpected reduction in brain volume.

Professor of Medical Imaging Science at University College London, Derek Hill, said to MailOnline that brain differences may not mean damage.

“A longer study would be needed to determine if the brain changes lead to harmful long term effects,” Professor Hill said.

Drake noted that the sport has changed completely since becoming professional in the 1990s, with players now taller and bulkier.

“Players are now generally bigger and more powerful, so we have to be mindful of all the ramifications that increased impacts will have on their bodies.

“Seeing younger players suffer with the consequences of that, I am not convinced that the game is safer now than it was when I started The Drake Foundation in 2014.

“More must be done to protect players, and without delay.”

The post Professional Rugby ‘Unsafe’ According To New Study appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.