Simon Mignolet walked away a bit battered from the 4-1 victory over Leicester last weekend, but the Belgian goalkeeper should be fit enough to play against Chelsea on Friday night.
The 28-year-old had a somewhat bloody face and a busted nose come the end of the game, and even shared a picture of his facial injuries to Instagram, collaged next to one of Ivan Drago, Rocky Balboa’s famous Russian adversary.
Speaking to DH in Belgium, the player revealed he isn’t complaining too much about getting roughed up a bit, but wouldn’t mind extra measures be taken in the future to lessen the chances of head traumas.
He explained: “We’ve said enough times that goalkeepers should be protected more. The rules have changed, we’ll see if referees will abide to them. I follow the NFL closely, which is trying to pay more and more attention to head injuries.”
Despite all this, the Belgium international revealed he isn’t ready to start wearing a protective helmet like his Arsenal counterpart, Petr Cech.
He said: “No, but I know that games against Leicester with the likes of Huth and Morgan, Crystal Palace or West Brom, goalkeepers risk taking a few hits during aerial duels.”
With his black eye now gone down and the satisfaction of knowing he didn’t break his nose in a collision with Robert Huth, Mignolet can now look forward to facing the likes of David Luiz and Gary Cahill during Friday Night Football.
