Belgian doctors think Mertens may be ready to face Cagliari

Doctors in Beligum have given an update to the media about the status of Dries Mertens. The Napoli winger was involved in a serious collision during Belgium's match with Wales yesterday, one that rendered him briefly unconscious and terrified many of his teammates.

According to Doctor Kris van Crombrugge, who is the chief of the medical staff for the Belgian national team, no serious damage has been revealed by further testing during Mertens' hospitalization, but given the nature of concussions he's still going to be held awhile longer in Brussels for observation.

Doctor van Crombrugge does seem optimistic about Mertens' ability to play for Napoli this weekend, having apparently told his counterparts in Napoli's medical staff that the attacker "should be back in shape" by the time Napoli play Cagliari in Sunday.

Napoli's doctors, understandably, would seem to prefer making their own diagnosis on the matter. Mertens will be given a thorough workover when he returns to Naples so that the team staff can get a more direct feel for how their player is doing, rather than rely on the word of doctors they haven't worked with much, if at all.

Still, even if Mertens winds up doubtful to play this weekend, that's a far cry better than where fans feared things could lead when he first got hit. Concussions are serious business and must be handled carefully, but considering the hit he took, things could have ended much, much worse for him.