Ajax's Bouwman hospitalised after Van Bommel tackle

Ajax will be without defender Aaron Bouwman for the rest of September after he was hospitalised following a challenge by PSV's Ruben van Bommel in Saturday's Eredivisie clash at the Johan Cruyff Arena, won 3-1 by the visitors. The club said scans revealed a sternum bruise and a bruised lung.

The incident came in the 79th minute, with PSV leading 2-1. Van Bommel, son of former Netherlands international Mark van Bommel, jumped for a header in midfield and drove his body into Bouwman's chest and neck. Bouwman went down immediately and needed on-field treatment before being replaced. Van Bommel, 22, was shown only a yellow card, one of four booked in the scuffle that followed. VAR did not intervene, a decision that has reopened debate in the Netherlands over how the video review system handles challenges that put a player's safety at risk.

Hugo Borst, an ESPN commentator, was among those who condemned the tackle.

Mark van Bommel watched the collision from the stands. His son's foul overshadowed a result that leaves Ajax struggling: the 19-year-old Bouwman, who joined the club in January and already has one goal this season, had been an automatic starter at the back.

Without Bouwman for the rest of the month, Michel Sánchez's side face a run of fixtures needing a replacement at the heart of defence, while the absence of any suspension for Van Bommel means PSV avoid disruption of their own.