Nottingham Forest striker Chris Wood has opened up on his injury frustrations as he looks set to sit out New Zealand's international friendly with China on Sunday.
The 31-year-old was left out of the matchday squad altogether for Thursday's goalless draw against the same opposition in Auckland, sitting in the stands for the first leg of a double header. He has been nursing a leg injury in recent weeks.
Wood took a knock in the 3-1 defeat to Tottenham on 11 March after coming on as a second-half substitute. He departed the pitch with a large lump on his thigh and has not played for Forest since - and it is very unlikely he will line out for the national team this week either.
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Wood told Sky Sport before Thursday’s match that it was “very frustrating” to be sidelined for the All Whites game. “I want to be playing, especially at home. Any time I can pull on an All Whites shirt, I want to”.
The target man has completed 90 minutes just twice in New Zealand's last eight home games stretching back a decade. “It’s happened a lot,” Wood said. “It hasn’t been a fruitful place for me to be, but I'll keep coming back and I'll keep trying.”
Wood has started five Premier League games for the Reds since joining on loan from Newcastle United, a move that will be turned into a permanent transfer in the summer. Speaking after the game at Tottenham, manager Steve Cooper said that the player has been "unfortunate" with injury.
"He goes on, and in his first moment in the game he gets a really bad knock to his thigh which really swells up instantly like you wouldn't believe," he said.
"He tried to carry on with it, but it was just impossible. When he came to the halfway line and I saw it, I knew he wouldn't be able to carry on, even though he tried. That was really unfortunate."
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