New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning has revealed that he is hopeful that Jason Pierre-Paul's hand injury will not affect the high level of his play at the club.
The 26-year-old sustained the injury while attempting to light fireworks as part of July 4 celebrations, and reportedly had his right index finger amputated in hospital.
Despite his injury, reports suggest that Pierre-Paul will be able to return to the field in the 2015 campaign.
"Obviously [Pierre-Paul] is an important player," Manning told reporters. "He is a force on the defensive side, so hopefully everything gets healed up and healthy, and he's able to continue playing football at a high level.
"I don't know the whole story of how it all happened, but you never want to see any professional athletes get injured, especially in a way that probably could have been avoided."
Pierre-Paul has recorded 286 tackles, 42 sacks and two interceptions in his five-year NFL career.
