Premier League star suffers gruesome injury on opening day: ‘Disgusting... his leg snapped!’

Nottingham Forest standout Danilo has suffered a devastating injury on the first day of the Premier League season, leaving football expert Kris Boyd in shock.

Saturday’s incident occurred at the City Ground during Forest’s match against AFC Bournemouth, with both top-flight sides playing their first game of 2024-25.

There was a stoppage in play after just seven minutes as Danilo and Cherries star Antoine Semenyo clattered into each other, with both medical teams coming on.

Security staff also entered the pitch – holding up a barrier of privacy as the medics worked on the 23-year-old – as the stadium fell into a dramatic and tense silence.

Danilo was eventually stretchered off by the medical team, and ambulance staff, with the Brazilian midfielder cheered by both sets of fans as he left the pitch.

Football pundit Boyd watched it all unfold on and said: ‘It’s horrible, it’s Danilo in the middle of the pitch.

‘He’s just jumped for the ball with Semenyo. It’s disgusting. He’s come back down and there’s no other way to say it, it’s looked like the bottom of his leg’s snapped.

‘It’s horrible. Absolutely horrible. There was nothing in the challenge, he jumps for the ball, comes down and it was disgusting.’

Former England midfielder Fara Williams, watching the match for the BBC, added: ‘Danilo went up for the header in the middle of the park and as he landed, you could just see his ankle roll under him.’

Bournemouth forward Semenyo was seen running over to shake Danilo’s hand before he was stretched off.

Danilo was officially substituted in the 15th minute, as Forest head coach Nuno Espírito Santo replaced him with Ryan Yates.

Forest ended up taking the lead in the 23rd minute thanks to Chris Wood and Bournemouth thought they’d equalised nine minutes later before VAR ruled it out.

There were 11 minutes of added time in the first half due to the Danilo incident, with Forest holding onto their 1-0 lead at the break.