Shanghai Greenland Shenhua striker Demba Ba is set to undergo surgery to repair his broken leg in Shanghai on Friday following the horrendous injury he suffered during the squad's derby with Shanghai SIPG last Sunday.

Ba collided with SIPG team captain Sun Xiang during a play for the ball, but their legs clashed in an awkward way, which left the 31-year-old Senegal international with fractured tibia and fibula bones in his left leg.

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The former Chelsea forward rolled to the ground howling in pain while clutching his broken leg that noticeably split apart under his socks.

Shanghai Daily reported that the decision for Ba to go through surgical operation was "taken by the Senegal star and his family after consulting both Shanghai doctors and a French medical team". The procedure will be performed by a French surgeon who will land in Shanghai on Thursday.

Ba was hurried to Putuo District People's Hospital from the Hongkou Football Stadium immediately after the match where he received restoration treatment. The 6-foot-2 Sèvres, France native is reportedly in stable condition at the moment and preparing for his operation on Friday.

He was visited by Sun and SIPG general manager Sui Guoyang during his ordeal as well as his Shenhua teammates Giovanni Moreno, Fredy Guarin, Obafemi Martins, Cao Yunding, Li Shuai, and Qin Sheng, who were all recurrently visiting.

"I had to come because he was injured after clashing with me," said Sun following his visit. "I feel guilty, so I came to apologize. Hope he recovers quickly. Physical contacts on the pitch are unavoidable. But it was definitely not deliberate."

"Ba was very understanding. He said let bygones be bygones and that's what life is about. Hope it's the first time and also the last time (that I cause such a serious injury). To a professional player, injury is not a good thing," Sun added.

Shenhua head coach Gregorio Manzano had some grave words with regards to Ba's injury, saying that "It's maybe the end of his professional career," as per ESPN.

"I would have preferred to lose the match than lose Demba Ba," the coach said.

Meanwhile, Shanghai Shenhua is seeking retribution from what had transpired during the derby as they sent a letter to the Chinese Football Association on Monday asking the CSL's disciplinary committee to "punish" the involved wrongdoers.

Aside from Sun, Shenhua mentioned midfielder Cai Huikang for elbowing Wang Yun and stepping on Moreno's knee in the match.

TagsChina Football, Chinese Super League, Chinese Super League news, demba ba, Shanghai Greenland Shenhua FC