Why Manchester United referee should be praised for performance vs Fulham

Premier League referee John Brooks has been praised for his human approach to officiating after calling the physio on to treat Manchester United defender Harry Maguire in the victory over Fulham.

In the opening couple of minutes on Saturday, Maguire suffered a head injury and received medical attention on the pitch. After concussion protocols were done, the call was made to allow the former United captain to play on.

However, midway through the second half Brooks stopped the game again to allow Maguire to receive treatment. While the England international resumed after the second check, former Premier League official Dermot Gallagher praised the man in the middle for stopping the game.

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He told Ref Watch: "I think what happened here is that the initial contact came 40 seconds into the game. The medical staff came on, they monitored him and they said: 'Yeah, he can come back onto the field of play.'

"At that point there, the ball had gone out for a goal kick and Harry Maguire had been up for a corner. I think he happened to be next to John Brooks.

"John Brooks looked at him, felt as a human being like we do, that this guy does not look quite right. So he has done the best thing possible, he hasn't assessed him himself but what he has done is call the medical staff on and said: 'You might want to have a look at him,' and they did and you see the results. He was quite right to do what he did."

After the game, Erik ten Hag said Maguire's second injury was related to his hand and not the head clash he suffered in the first half. However, brain injury charity Headway released a statement on Monday saying there must be an overhaul of the