Nottingham Forest defender Moussa Niakhate could make a return to Steve Cooper’s squad sooner rather than later after he was named in the Senegal national squad.
The central defender was forced off with ten minutes to go in the Reds' 1-0 win over West Ham United in the second game of the season. Niakhate is yet to return to action and Forest have conceded 12 goals in the four games without him.
Niakhate joined Steve Cooper's side in the summer for a reported £8.5m plus £4.2m in add-ons and had put in a dominant display against Michail Antonio at the City Ground. In his absence, the Reds signed Willy Boly and Cheikhou Kouyate to add numbers to Cooper's defence.
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However, Forest could be set to receive a huge boost in their defence with the potential return of Niakhate for the trip to East Midlands rivals Leicester City. Niakhate, alongside Kouyate, has been called-up to the Senegal national team for their upcoming fixtures against Bolivia and Iran.
He's yet to make his first international appearance for Senegal, with Chelsea's Kalidou Koulibaly, PSG's Abdou Diallo and Olympiacos' Papa Abou Cisse ahead of him. However, despite not featuring since the second weekend of the season, Niakhate has been called up to the African champions' squad.
While it remains unclear whether he'll feature across the two-week period, it could present Cooper and Forest a huge boost in their defence ahead of a busy October. The Reds have six fixtures penned in, including Leicester, Wolves, Liverpool and Arsenal.
Do you think the Leicester City fixture may be too early for Niakhate's return? Have your say in the comments...
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