Napoli forward Dries Mertens’ private plane reportedly slid off the runway in Deurne, but the Partenopei star walked away unharmed.
The forward will not be playing against Atalanta in the Coppa Italia tonight, as the Azzurri confirmed the Belgian had returned to his homeland to visit a specialist.
The attacker, who sprained his ankle during the defeat to Inter in mid-December, suffered a setback when he started playing again.
Due to heavy rain, Het Nieuwsblad reports the pilots couldn’t keep the Belgian’s private plane on the runway when landing.
With Mertens and his dog aboard, the plane moved further than planned and slid into the grass of the safety zone.
“We were called up on Saturday evening around 9.20pm to provide assistance,” a member of staff at the Antwerp fire brigade told the newspaper. “We pulled the aircraft back onto the runway with to technical vehicles.”
A private jet with Napoli forward Dries Mertens (and his dog) overran the runway of the Antwerp Airport on Saturday, where he was heading for his recovery from his ankle injury. Both were OK.https://t.co/829nZbHxx8 (@sportwereld_be) pic.twitter.com/XbyUGbPWNd