Donnarumma 'deeply affected' by Jamal Musiala injury

Italy international Gianluigi Donnarumma, goalkeeper for PSG, has stated he is "deeply affected" by the serious injury suffered by Jamal Musiala, Bayern Munich's midfielder, after the goalkeeper collided with him contesting a ball just before half-time in the Club World Cup quarter-final.

"I'm very upset by what happened; it certainly was not my intention to hurt Musiala," Donnarumma told 'La Gazzeta dello Sport', after facing criticism on social media for the incident that caused the injury, which Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer described as "a risky decision."

Musiala, who has already flown from Orlando to Munich, will undergo surgery "shortly" for a fractured fibula in his left leg resulting from an ankle dislocation sustained in the challenge, according to the Bavarian club.

Speaking to the same outlet, Donnarumma's agent, Vicenzo Railo, insisted that "it is unfair to think he intended to harm Musiala, and we wish him a speedy recovery so he can come back stronger than before."

"It's a matter of split seconds. It only takes an instant for a save to turn into a penalty. Gigio (Donnarumma) got to the ball first and couldn't avoid the contact," his agent explained.

Regarding the fact that the goalkeeper moved away from the scene after the incident, which also drew criticism, Railo said that he "didn't want to pretend nothing had happened," but rather, "he's a very sensitive lad."

"He wouldn't have been able to remain on the scene and preferred to step away to allow the medics to attend to Musiala. Back in the dressing room (at half-time), he even switched his phone on. In all the years we've worked together, he's never done that. He usually turns it off an hour before kick-off and only turns it back on after the match. This time, he sent me a message to say he was very upset and that it wasn't intentional," he added.

The 22-year-old German international had only just returned to the World Cup after several months out injured.