Saturday's Premier League season-opener between Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth was delayed for seven minutes after Danilo suffered a horrific ankle injury early in the first half.<br /><br />The Brazilian Forest midfielder challenged Bournemouth's Antoine Semenyo for an aerial ball inside the center circle before landing awkwardly on his left foot, forcing his leg into an unnatural position.<br /><br />Referee Michael Oliver immediately spotted the severity of the injury and the game was stopped as medical staff rushed onto the field.<br /><br />As Danilo was treated on the pitch, members of the response team created a protective barrier around him.<br /><br />Once this was removed, fans and players were relieved to see Danilo giving a thumbs-up gesture toward medics, shortly before he left the City Ground on a stretcher.<br /><br />After Danilo left the field to be replaced by Adam Yates, Forest's official club X (formerly Twitter) account posted a message of support.<br /><br />It read: 'Yatesy replaces Danilo who is stretchered off. We're all with you, Danilo'.<br /><br />Danilo - who joined Forest from Palmeiras for around £16million in January 2023 - was making his 43rd Premier League appearance on Saturday.<br /><br />The 23-year-old scored three goals in 34 games across all competitions for the East Midlands outfit last season.<br /><br />But it could be some time before he returns to the pitch, with the injury set to rule him out of action for a long period.<br /><br />Saturday's game ended in a 1-1 draw. Chris Wood fired Forest ahead in the 23rd minute but Semenyo hit back for the Cherries late in the second half.
