'Always more football can do with head injuries', insists Wigan Athletic chief

There's been a call for 'concussion substitutes' to be introduced in football after the clash of heads between Jimenez and Arsenal defender David Luiz, which resulted in the Wolves striker being taken to hospital with a fractured skull after receiving oxygen on the pitch.

Luiz, though, was allowed to carry on playing after having his head bandaged before being substituted at half-time.

Headway, the brain injury association, expressed its “anger and disappointment at football’s continued failings to protect its players from concussion”.

And while praising the huge steps football has taken in recent years to address the issue of head injuries, Richardson says 'there's always more you can do'.

The Latics acting manager said: "I think the science and knowledge has moved on so much, even since I was playing, which wasn't too long ago.

"There's some excellent practices in place now, and you can never be too cautious when you're talking about head injuries and player welfare.

"Having said that, there's always more you can do, and I'm sure those at the top will be looking to improve the situation even further where possible.

"Years ago it was all about a quick dose of smelling salts and let's see what happens.

"If they felt dizzy they came off, if not they just carried on.

"Now we've got so many precautions, so many tests, assessments, keep you off for a couple of weeks to see how you are.

"And incidents like that at the weekend - and we wish him all the best - will only go to ensure even more focus is on player welfare, which can only be a good thing."

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