I knew it was
●EVERTON winger Gerard Deulofeu has joined AC Milan on loan until the end of the season after confusion last week when the Italians prematurely announced the deal. WATCHING in his living room, Iain Hume winced as Ryan Mason crashed to the ground after a sickening clash of heads with Chelsea’s Gary Cahill.
Hume recoiled and wanted to look away, but his eyes remained transfixed on the screen in front of him.
The 33-year-old did not need to be told the stricken Hull midfielder was in serious trouble as he lay shaking on the pitch at Stamford Bridge.
Eight years ago while playing for Barnsley, Hume fractured his skull during a frenzied South Yorkshire derby against Sheffield United.
He knew instantly Mason was in a very bad way on Sunday afternoon.
“It was the way he landed, straight-legged on the turf,” said the Canadian international.
“Normally you’d crumble in a heap, but he just landed and then fell forward.
“And then there was the reaction, especially from Michael Dawson. It didn’t look good at all.”
November 8, 2008 was the day Hume could have died. A challenge from Blades defender Chris Morgan thudded into the side of his head knocking him out cold. Hume suffered a fracture and internal bleeding – only no one knew how bad his injuries were at the time.
It is less than a decade ago but we live in a more enlightened era now with clear medical guidelines to follow for head injuries.
While Mason was whisked to a west London hospital for surgery after being carefully carried off the pitch, Hume simply went home and fell asleep.
“I was sent home with suspected concussion,” said Hume. “I didn’t go to hospital until the following day.
“Within a couple of months, the protocols changed and they started sending people directly to hospital for a check-up.
“So in one sense, Ryan was lucky because he was in the right environment.
“He was probably inside a hospital getting examined inside an hour. They caught it early.
“I don’t know the extent of his injuries but he’s in the best possible place. And the fact the incident happened in a high-profile match which was
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being shown live on telly means he was always going to get the best possible treatment.”
Hume still shudders when reliving his brush with mortality.
“I don’t know how close I was to dying but it was a lot closer than it should have been,” he said.
“The worst thing to do at a time like that is sleep – and I slept like a baby that Saturday night because we did not know the extent of my problem.
“The following day, I couldn’t string sentences together and started talking gibberish. That’s when I was rushed to hospital. Fortunately a scenario like that wouldn’t happen today.”
Hume, who still sports 18-inch scar the shape of a horseshoe on his skull, was in hospital for seven days.
He did not play again that season but was back in action for the start of the 2009-10 campaign.
“They kept my blood pressure down for three or four weeks while the scars healed but I was running again just after Christmas under close supervision from the physio,” an said Hume, who has spent t past three seasons playing Atletico de Kolkota in the Indi Super League and also played Leicester, Tranm and Preston.
“By March, I w feeling good a pestering the gaf Simon Davey, begg him to let me g involved with t lads.
“In my first pract game, someone tr to chip me a instinctively, I jumped a headed the ball.
“The boss ripped a strip off for that, but it gave me confiden