Conte gives update on Pedro, who’s to be kept overnight in hospital for observation

The one thing that took a bit of shine off Chelsea’s 3-0 beating of Arsenal in Saturday’s pre-season friendly in Beijing was the injury suffered by Pedro in the 29th minute, when he quite literally got punched out by Arsenal goalkeeper David Ospina. Pedro then got whistled for a foul, to add insult to injury, but more concerning was that he was down for some time and the stretcher came out as well. Eventually he walked off under his own power, though was thankfully substituted and taken to hospital for concussion tests. As Antonio Conte revealed in his post-match press conference, Pedro will now be kept overnight for observation.

“Pedro went to the hospital and for sure he should be okay but I think he had concussion. For this reason, our doctor preferred to take him to the hospital and check him in the right way. It is a pity because in this period it is not good to have this type of injury but he should be okay. I am very happy for this.”

“For sure he stays here [in Beijing] and then if the situation is okay he will come tomorrow to Singapore.”

-Antonio Conte; source: Chelsea FC

Chelsea are flying out to Singapore today to start preparations for Tuesday’s friendly against Bayern Munich, but hopefully Pedro will indeed be able to follow tomorrow once he’s released from hospital. Concussions are as serious, if not more serious than any other muscular or bone injuries, so hopefully we continue to treat Pedro with the care appropriate for this unfortunate injury.

Get well soon, Pedrito!