Gruesome image emerges of Stephen Ireland’s leg after tackle

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A gruesome image has emerged showing Stephen Ireland’s leg shortly after the tackle his manager Mark Hughes said could have ended the Stoke midfielder’s career.

Ireland was on the receiving end of a rash-looking challenge from the Hull City defender Maynor Figueroa and was substituted at half-time.

Hughes revealed Ireland had sustained a calf injury that required “something like 12 or 15 stitches” - and a photograph published on Sunday in the Telegraph shows the huge gash in the 28-year-old’s leg before the stitches were inserted.

The tackle that caused the damage went unpunished, with the referee, Neil Swarbrick, allowing play to continue. The official and his assistant were strongly condemned by Hughes who said Figueroa should have been shown a red card.

The manager also rated the challenge worse than the one made a week earlier by Burnley forward Ashley Barnes on the Chelsea midfielder Nemanja Matic at Stamford Bridge which drew so much attention.

Hughes told the BBC: “The tackle on Stevie Ireland could have finished his career. Why the referee hasn’t given a straight red for that, I have no idea. The referees have got to get their act together, really. He has had it all stitched up and hopefully it doesn’t get infected but that is the risk over the next couple of days.”

A header from Peter Crouch, a minute after he came off the bench, settled Saturday’s match at the Britannia Stadium.

Neither side produced much going forward, with Hull’s only real chance coming in the 20th minute when Sone Aluko outfoxed Philipp Wollscheid to get into the Stoke box before sending the ball wide of the far post with his left foot from a tight angle.

The Hull manager, Steve Bruce, whose side are four points above the relegation zone in 15th while Stoke are 10th, claimed Crouch’s effort should have been ruled out for offside.