Nottingham Forest head coach Steve Cooper has responded to Wales taking issue with the club’s handling of Brennan Johnson’s injury.
Johnson was forced off in the second half of the Reds’ 3-1 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur with a groin problem. That made him a doubt to face Newcastle United in the final game before the international break.
The 21-year-old played the full 90 minutes against the Magpies, but was not 100 percent fit. He then withdrew from the Wales squad ahead of their games against Croatia and Latvia. The decision sparked an angry response from manager Rob Page, who suggested Forest had not “respected” the player being called up for his country.
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Cooper insists the Reds’ medical team have been “transparent” and there was nothing unusual about what happened. Meanwhile, Johnson is a doubt to face Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday, with his potential availability described as “inconclusive”.
“It was a straightforward, normal situation,” Cooper said. “They could have assessed him, because they have that right. In an international FIFA window, the international team can assess a player, that is absolutely their right.
“It was a normal situation. Unfortunately, he picked something up against Newcastle, as the scan showed - which we shared with Wales a day or two days after we played on the Friday.
“It showed he was injured. It is no more complex than that, really. He wouldn’t have played for us in the last period, and unfortunately he wasn’t able to play for Wales.”
Asked if Page had got in touch with him, Cooper said: “Not with me, no. The medical team were very transparent, both teams by all accounts, really clear and good, mutual communication.
“It was a very normal, straightforward situation - a player gets injured, couldn’t play. If it happened again, we wouldn’t do anything different, in terms of what we did. We have not lost any sleep over it, apart from trying to get Brennan fit.”
Page had said of Johnson’s withdrawal: "As we know, playing for your country is something very special, it shouldn't be taken for granted, by anyone. Everybody who has got a responsibility for Brennan should respect that and help him in any way they can.
"We were aware of something last week and then he went and played 90 minutes on the Friday and wasn't available to meet up on the Sunday. Like I said, everybody's responsible for him. It's very special to be in that changing room and play for your country.
"You shouldn't take that for granted. The people responsible for him shouldn't take that for granted and should appreciate and respect that as well.
"It is not about him (Cooper) being a Welsh manager. He could be English, Scottish, it doesn't matter about the nationality. He's got a job to do, I'm thinking of the player.
"We've got to respect it's an unbelievable honour to play for your country. Where I should have been a little bit stronger is with getting Brennan through the door on Sunday to assess him."
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