West Brom striker Josh Maja was forced off with an injury after a challenge from Sunderland’s Dan Ballard during their Championship match at the Stadium of Light.
Dan Ballard wished Josh Maja a speedy recovery after Sunderland defeated West Brom 2-1 at the Stadium of Light.
Ballard’s first-half tackle on Maja resulted in the Baggies striker being forced off in the first half with an ankle injury, just weeks after recovering from a similar problem.
When asked about the incident, Ballard, who missed four months of last season due to a foot injury, said, “At the time, I just remember trying to win the ball, and obviously it’s not nice when a player goes down injured.” Last year, in the third game of the season, I broke my foot in the same way. It’s not a pleasant situation.
“I really do wish him a speedy recovery if there is any damage there. I know that it is not a nice situation. I never mean to hurt a player so it sort of dampens the win because I do really feel for him.”
When asked about Ballard’s tackle on Maja, who was making his first West Brom start, Baggies boss Carlos Corberan said: “I think that this conclusion needs to be done by everyone watching the images on TV.
“I haven’t done it yet, and I don’t even want to look because, with the Maja situation, it’s something unfair for him. We signed him without a pre-season; he was little by little getting into the team. Against Bristol, he received a massive foul in the box, and the referee decided against giving a penalty.”