Higuain conscious and alert after heavy head knock, Sarri confirms

Maurizio Sarri confirmed Gonzalo Higuain was conscious and lucid after a blow to the head left the Juventus striker needing a stretcher at full-time in a 1-1 draw with Lecce.

Higuain came off worse in an aerial collision with goalkeeper Gabriel late in Saturday’s entertaining Serie A match at Stadio Via del Mare.

Medical staff applied bandages to the Argentinian’s bloodied head and he completed the match as normal, unleashing multiple shots as the visitors attempted to reclaim the lead.

His condition reportedly worsened after the final whistle and he had to be carried from the pitch.

“Gonzalo is having stitches, then they will decide whether to take him to the hospital,” Sarri said in a post-match interview with Sky Sport Italia.

“He is conscious and responding clearly. I think he will come back with us [to Turin].”

FT |  | Plenty of chances created but it finishes in a draw at the Via del Mare #LecceJuve #FinoAllaFine #ForzaJuve pic.twitter.com/q19qimAufm

— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) October 26, 2019

Juve earlier lost Miralem Pjanic to a muscle problem on a costly day.

Sarri’s decision to rest Cristiano Ronaldo from the matchday squad backfired badly as the Bianconeri wasted numerous chances either side of Paulo Dybala’s 50th-minute penalty.

Matthijs de Ligt’s inadvertent handball allowed Marco Mancosu to equalise from the spot six minutes later and Lecce held firm under pressure to register their first home point of the season.

Sarri said: “Ronaldo was tired physically and mentally. Bringing him here would not have allowed him to recover.

“When a player becomes fatigued, then it’s right to let him rest. It was something he also felt. The fact remains we produced 10 scoring opportunities and didn’t finish them.”

The draw marked the second time Juve have dropped points under Sarri in Serie A, the champions having settled for a stalemate against Fiorentina in September.