Jermaine Pennant reports hospital treatment after dog attack

Former Liverpool and Arsenal winger Jermaine Pennant says he needed more than 50 stitches after a dog attack in north London. BBC Sport reported that the 43-year-old was walking his dogs last week when a German Shepherd bit him as he tried to protect his own dog, King.

Watch the highlights:

In an Instagram account cited by the BBC, Pennant said he ended up on the ground with the animal still gripping his leg. He credited King with intervening and fighting it off, saying his pet had prevented the incident from becoming worse. Pennant described King as having a small nip to his leg.

Pennant told The Sun that he was treated for four bite wounds to his right leg after his partner, Mimmi Montgomery, arranged transport to hospital. In its report published on Sunday, the newspaper said he spent Friday night there and had been told plastic surgery might be needed for one larger wound. Surgery was presented as a possibility, not a confirmed procedure.

The BBC reported that Pennant chose not to report the attack to police. His social media post included a photograph of him sitting beside King with his leg bandaged, and he thanked Montgomery for caring for them. He did not provide further details about the German Shepherd, according to the broadcaster.

Pennant now works as a talkSPORT pundit following a playing career that included 231 Premier League appearances, the BBC reported. He retired in 2018 after spells with clubs including Arsenal, Liverpool and Stoke City. His account of the attack was shared publicly through his Instagram post and his interview with The Sun.

Liverpool's official player profile records 81 appearances and three goals for the club after Rafael Benitez signed him from Birmingham City in July 2006. Pennant played in the 2007 Champions League final defeat by AC Milan in Athens. He later spent time on loan at Portsmouth before moving permanently to Real Zaragoza in the summer of 2009.