The Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has been discharged from hospital following the head injury he sustained against Arsenal on Sunday and has been cleared to play in Belgium’s Euro 2016 qualifier on Thursday.

Courtois was knocked flat after a 10th-minute collision with Alexis Sánchez in Chelsea’s 2-0 victory over Arsenal on Sunday but, after a brief examination by Chelsea staff, the Belgian continued in the home goal for a further 14 minutes. At that stage, when apparently bleeding from his right ear, he was substituted and taken to hospital for observation and “precautionary tests”.

The club released a statement on Monday saying the 22-year-old had suffered “a minor cut to the ear”, making no mention of any suspected concussion, and that Courtois “is expected to report for international duty later this week”.

The goalkeeper also tweeted that he was feeling better and was looking forward to getting back onto the pitch.

Thanks for all the messages! I'm already feeling better. Now I'm resting to be recovered and back on the pitch soon. Great victory yesterday — Thibaut Courtois (@thibautcourtois) October 6, 2014

Headway, the brain injury charity, has questioned the application of the Premier League’s regulations following the decision to allow Courtois to play on. The Premier League is understood to be happy the rules were correctly applied.

But Headway’s chief executive, Peter McCabe, said on the charity’s website: “The new rules introduced this season were designed to ensure no risks to players’ health were taken. They clearly state that ‘If there is any suspicion of the player having sustained a concussion, they must be removed from the field of play, and not allowed to return.’

“This incident calls into question whether these rules are working effectively. It is hard to understand how a concussion was not suspected following the sickening clash.”

McCabe acknowledged the difficulty of making an assessment from television, but questioned why a “safety-first approach” was not applied. He added: “Bleeding from one or both ears is one of the symptoms to look out for that requires an immediate visit or return to hospital following a head injury.

“The fact that the bleeding only became apparent 15 minutes after the injury also demonstrates the evolving nature of concussion and highlights why a safety-first approach must be taken with all head injuries.”

In the wake of the widespread criticism attracted by Tottenham Hotspur and their then manager, André Villas-Boas, for allowing the goalkeeper Hugo Lloris to continue against Everton when concussed last November, the FA introduced new rules on dealing with head injuries at the start of the season which state that in the likelihood of concussion players should be taken off immediately.

As a result, the Chelsea manager, José Mourinho, fielded a number of questions on the issue after the match but defended the actions of the club’s medical staff while Courtois was given the all clear on Sunday night.

The Belgium coach, Marc Wilmots, had been expected to rest Courtois against Andorra in light of the injury although Chelsea’s statement leaves open the possibility that the 22-year-old could still feature on Thursday and then against Bosnia-Herzegovina next Monday.

“Courtois had a mild concussion,” said Wilmots. “He will have another late test in London tomorrow (Tuesday) but we hope he can play against Andorra.”