Nottingham Forest defender Murillo was a surprise name on the team sheet yesterday after missing last weekend’s game against Leicester with a hamstring problem.
Murillo was withdrawn in the second half of the 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace, shortly after scoring the equalising goal for Forest against the Eagles.
The Brazilian defender has been outstanding again this season, and he could yet help Forest achieve the unthinkable and qualify for the Champions League.
Forest beat West Ham 2-1 after goals by Morgan Gibbs-White and Nikola Milenkovic, with Jarrod Bowen scoring late on to set up a grandstand finish.
Photo by Alex Broadway/Getty Images
Photo by Alex Broadway/Getty Images
Murillo shares update after another injury scare
On the stroke of half time, Murillo landed awkwardly on his ankle and immediately signalled that he needed to be substituted.
He was helped off the field by two physios before admitting defeat on getting on the back of a buggy designed to escort injured players.
With Morato out on the pitch going through his routine, it seemed as though Murillo would be withdrawn, but remarkably, he continued.
Murillo has now cleared up what was actually going on and admits that he’s now in good health following a full 90 minutes of action.
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He told Sky Sports: “Initially, I heard a pop in my ankle and I told the doctors I couldn’t go on, but we were close to half-time, so they were able to analyse the situation. I said if I don’t feel anything, I will carry on playing and thankfully, the ankle is fine.”
What two pundits said about Murillo
Ian Abrahams is a TalkSPORT anchor and, as a West Ham fan, he decided to take aim at Murillo for his antics in the first half.
He said live on air: “We’re not putting ourselves forward to write the Lancet (the medical journal) any time soon. At half-time, we saw Murillo go off on a golf trolley and all but written off his career with an ankle injury, 15 minutes later, he’s out on the pitch, he’s absolutely fine.”
Perry Groves went a step further and called Murillo ’embarrassing’ for his actions.
He claimed: “I said he’d be off, he looked in distress, he looked like he’s done his ankle, looked like he could be out for about three or four months.
“If you come off on a golf cart and you can’t actually walk, even if it was alright to play in the second half, I wouldn’t come back out, I’d be embarrassed. It’s the biggest recovery I’ve ever seen.”