Republic of Ireland striker Shane Long has acknowledged that he did his best to "comfort" Seamus Coleman in the minutes after he suffered a badly broken leg against Wales.
A poorly-timed challenge from Neil Taylor left Coleman with a broken tibia and fibula, and it appears likely that he will miss the rest of 2017 as he begins his recovery from the injury.
Long was one of a number of people who helped Coleman soon after the incident, and he admits that it was a difficult situation for himself and his teammates after seeing their captain suffer what was a horrific injury.
The 30-year-old is quoted by the Irish Mirror as saying: "It's not nice. I was trying to comfort Seamus on the pitch. He is loved by everyone, he's obviously a great player and he is going to be a big loss.
"I was trying to comfort him, he was in a lot of pain. It was a bad challenge, a bad injury, I just tried to settle him and relax him and it's not nice to see anyone go through that.
"Everyone loves Seamus and it's hard to see when he goes down but I am sure he will come back fitter and stronger."
The World Cup qualifying fixture in Dublin ended in a goalless draw.
Darren Plant
