Injuries are stacking up for Nottingham Forest as they head into the new year and a crucial period of the season.
The Reds were already without long-term absentees Moussa Niakhate (hamstring), Omar Richards (hairline fracture of the leg), Giulian Biancone (ACL) and Cheikhou Kouyate (hamstring) as the Premier League campaign resumed following the World Cup break. And they are now waiting to find out how long club record signing Morgan Gibbs-White will be sidelined for, while Jesse Lingard had to be substituted in the 3-0 defeat to Manchester United after receiving treatment on the pitch.
Gibbs-White has not featured since being forced off in Forest’s friendly defeat to Valencia, just before the campaign restarted. Boss Steve Cooper said prior to kick-off at Old Trafford that the attacker would be out “for a little while” with a muscle problem.
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Meanwhile, teammate Lingard had worn heavy strapping around one of his thighs against his former club. He was brought off early in the second half after going down following an attempt to sprint for a ball.
“Jesse was feeling, hopefully, fatigue in his hamstring,” said Cooper, who has already admitted the club’s January transfer plans will be affected by their injury situation. “We needed everybody to be absolutely 100 percent physically; we couldn’t carry any players in any part of the pitch. We’ll have to see how that is.
“Morgan is still a little bit inconclusive in terms of when we think he’ll be back. We’ll cross bridges as they come. My focus is always on the guys who are training and the guys who are available for the next guys, that’s where my attention will lie.”
The Reds are next in action on New Year’s Day, at home to Chelsea. Losing to United ended a three-match winning streak in all competitions and leaves Cooper’s men 19th in the table.
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