Everton star Iliman Ndiaye could not hide his emotions as he broke down in tears while leaving the pitch during the Merseyside derby with a suspected knee injury.
The forward was challenged by Dominik Szoboszlai around 20 minutes into a frantic clash against Liverpool at Goodison Park.
While the former Marseille star tried to run it off, it became apparent that the injury was much worse than first feared.
It saw play halted as Everton boss David Moyes immediately turned to his bench to tell Jack Harrison to warm up.
Iliman Ndiaye broke down in tears as he walked off the pitch
Reuters
Ndiaye became overwhelmed by emotion as he slowly limped off the pitch, covering his eyes with his shirt as he broke down in tears.
His team-mates came over to console him, as well as a couple of Liverpool players too.
Ndiaye had already played a crucial role in the match, having won the free-kick that saw Beto open the scoring - though replays showed that the Senegal international was not touched before referee Michael Oliver gave the free-kick.
Alexis Mac Allister struck an equaliser just moments later after finding space between James Tarkowski and Jarrad Branthwaite to head past Jordan Pickford.
Tonight's Merseyside derby is the last of its kind at Goodison Park before the Toffees move stadium.
And the fans have been keen to give it a fine send-off with raucous support throughout.
And all fans applauded Ndiaye as he trudged off the pitch and down the tunnel, though it remains to be seen how serious this potential injury is.
Losing the 24-year-old at this stage of the season would be a huge blow to Everton, where he has quickly become a key player.
In 24 Premier League matches, he has scored six times after joining from Marseille last summer.
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Iliman Ndiaye suffered what could be a serious injury on his knee
Reuters
Everton started the day 16th in the Premier League with Moyes arriving in January to help steer them away from trouble.
Since the Scot's grand return to the club - 12 years after leaving Merseyside - Everton have picked up vital wins against Tottenham, Brighton and Leicester.
It has seen them go 10 points clear of the relegation zone, though they might not be out of the woods yet.
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