Ashley Williams says that he felt 'sick inside' when he found out Seamus Coleman had sustained a broken leg during Ireland's 0-0 with Wales on Friday night.
The Wales captain and Coleman have become good friends following Williams' move to Everton last summer.
Speaking to Everton's club website, Williams said that he wanted to visit Coleman at St. Vincent's Hospital following the game.
I tried to go to the hospital Seamus was in after the game but the FAI said he’d had a few family visitors and they were trying to get him to sleep.
I sent him a text and he woke up in the night and texted me back. I spoke to him then. I’ve spoken to him since, too, and he seems positive and focused on his recovery.
The 32-year-old said that once he realised it was Coleman who had been injured, thoughts immediately turned from the game towards the well-being of his club teammate.
I didn’t really see the tackle. All I saw was the red card and my initial reaction was to go to the referee. At the time I was in the swing of things. It took me a minute to realise, ‘Actually, he hasn’t got up,’ and that it was Seamus who was down. At that point, I wasn’t thinking about the game, or us being down to 10 men, I started thinking, ‘Is my mate okay?’ That was when I went over to him.
Even at that point I didn’t know it was so serious. After the game I went straight into their dressing room to speak to James McCarthy and he told me Seamus had gone to hospital and had broken his leg.
Williams added that Neil Taylor, whose tackle broke Coleman's leg, sat on the dressing room floor, pretty much in tears following the game.
It was just a weird feeling from everyone around the dressing rooms. Even people who don’t know Seamus like I do were gutted. Neil Taylor was completely gutted. He was sitting on the floor virtually in tears. He asked me to check if it would be okay to go to see Seamus in hospital. He got his number off me and sent him a text straight away.
When I found out it was a broken leg it made me feel sick inside because it’s someone who I like so much and is one of my mates.
He’s going to have up and down days but the way he is, I’m sure his determination will help with his rehab and hopefully we’ll have him back sooner rather than later and stronger than ever.
Picture: Sportsfile
