Arsenal's Aaron Ramsey suffered a suspected broken leg during his side's 3-1 Premier League win at Stoke.
The 19-year-old Wales international was stretchered off after a tackle by Ryan Shawcross, who was sent off for the challenge and left the field in tears.
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger branded the tackle as "not acceptable".
But Shawcross later expressed his sympathy for Ramsey and said in a statement: "There was absolutely no malice in the challenge."
He added: "I would never go out to hurt a fellow professional. I am deeply upset that Aaron has suffered such a bad injury and my thoughts are with him.
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