Lennart Thy will be missing from the matchday squad when VVV Venlo take on PSV Eindhoven this weekend but the 26-year-old will never have a better excuse for missing the match.
Thy is an exact DNA match for an unnamed leukaemia patient and has been given the week off work from his club to donate blood to the patient.
A statement from VVV Venlo's website praised the striker for his actions:
Lennart, you could save a life.
Thy will be absent from this week's team training sessions and will not play against PSV at the weekend. The reason is a special one.
VVV were of course in agreement with Thy's request to cooperate with this special procedure. The possibility of a DNA match is extremely small and creates an exceptional situation.
VVV Venlo currently lie 12th in the Eridivisie having been promoted fro the second-tier Jupiler League last season.
Closer to home the Irish blood transfusion service has been calling for people to donate their blood following recent shortages, so if you are eligible to donate your blood please do so by going to your local clinic. To find out if you are eligible to donate your blood check here.
CALLING ALL BLOOD DONORS: If you can #giveblood this week please do - we are running low on all types as we have just 3 days supply on average across all groups and just 2 days in O negative! All clinic details can be found in the link. PLS SHARE https://t.co/o2DIDsI6Ve pic.twitter.com/d8Nze3LSGd
— Giveblood (@Giveblood_ie) March 6, 2018
