Jesse Derry: Chelsea teenager says debut was dream come true despite head injury

Chelsea Striker Jesse Derry said his debut was “a dream come true” despite being hospitalized after suffering a head injury.

The 18-year-old made his debut for Chelsea against Nottingham Forest on Monday and went head-to-head with rival Zach Abbott in the 45th minute.

After a long break, the player received oxygen from the field and was taken off the field on a stretcher.

The club later confirmed that he was “conscious, talking and undergoing precautionary checks” in hospital.

“My dream of making my Premier League debut at Stamford Bridge has come true,” Derry wrote on social media.

“I would like to thank all the Chelsea medical staff, everyone at St Mary’s Hospital, my team-mates and all the fans for their great support. I can’t wait to play in front of everyone again very soon.”

Derry, son of former Leeds and Crystal Palace midfielder Shaun Derry, was making his first start for Chelsea after making two appearances off the bench in the FA Cup.

He was replaced by concussion substitute Liam Delap.

Premier League teams are allowed to make one concussion substitution per match and this does not count towards their normal substitution limit.

Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White and Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez were also involved in a nasty second-half collision but Forest confirmed the midfielder was not substituted due to concussion.