Defender Giulian Biancone was given a warm reception by his Nottingham Forest teammates on his return to the Nigel Doughty Academy.
An anterior cruciate ligament injury, suffered in an innocuous incident in training, has kept the summer signing away from the club since November. He underwent surgery in Austria, then did part of his rehabilitation in Italy and is now back in the UK.
He is not yet training with Steve Cooper’s side again and would be unable to play even if fully fit as he is not included in the 25-man Premier League squad. But with unity a key priority amid Forest’s fight for survival, Biancone can still have a part to play.