Gunners ace could have lost his foot, specialist reveals

EDUARDO DA SILVA could have lost his left foot had medical staff not been so prompt in treating his horrific leg break, according to a specialist.

Osteopath and physiotherapist Tim Allardyce revealed that any delay in attending to such an injury would likely result in amputation.

He said: “You can lose the foot, simple as. Once the foot dislocates like that, it can badly damage the blood vessels and it’s very, very serious.

“The foot needs to be relocated immediately or almost immediately to save it and emergency surgery is completely necessary.”

Allardyce warned Croatia international Eduardo he faces a long road back to fitness and fears he may never fully recover.

“Imagine your worst ankle sprain and make it about 10 times worse and you’re getting close to where Eduardo is,” Allardyce said.

“He could be out for several months. We’d expect a normal person to be out for about six months.

“With the level of fitness he’ll need to get back to, it could be anywhere around the nine months mark.”

Even if Eduardo makes a complete physical recovery, Allardyce is also concerned about any lasting psychological trauma.

“Once you’ve sustained such a serious injury, you’ll always tend to be aware of it before you regain full strength and confidence,” he said.

“It will have a big psychological effect, certainly for the next year, maybe for several months after that.”