London, May 5 (IANS) Winger Jesse Derry has reassured fans following a concerning on-field collision during his first full Premier League start for Chelsea, which resulted in the teenager being taken to hospital for treatment.

The 18-year-old was stretchered off just before half-time in Chelsea’s 3-1 defeat to Nottingham Forest at Stamford Bridge after a heavy clash of heads with defender Zach Abbott. The incident brought immediate concern among players and supporters, with medical staff rushing onto the pitch to provide urgent care before Derry was transported to St Mary’s Hospital.

Despite the frightening nature of the collision, Derry later shared a positive update, expressing gratitude for the support he received. Taking to social media, he described the moment as special despite the unfortunate end.

“It was a dream come true to start at Stamford Bridge for my Premier League debut,” he wrote. “I’d like to thank all the Chelsea medical staff, everyone at St Mary’s Hospital, my teammates, and all the fans for their incredible support. I’m looking forward to being back out there very soon,” he wrote in a post on Instagram.

Jesse became the 33rd player to follow in his father’s footsteps by playing in the Premier League.

Jesse’s father, Shaun, played 53 times in the Premier League, mostly for Queens Park Rangers between 2011 and 2013. He featured against Chelsea on three occasions, winning two of those matches 1-0 and losing the other 6-1.

Meanwhile, Chelsea slumped to a sixth straight Premier League defeat and saw their Champions League qualification hopes virtually disappear after losing to Nottingham Forest 3-1 on Monday. They are now placed at the 9th spot in the Points table with 48 points in 35 matches. The west London club is now ten points behind fifth-place Aston Villa, and with very few games remaining, their chance to finish in the top five and confirm their place seems dicey.

–IANS

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