Nottingham Forest turning point could lead to key…

Nottingham Forest turning point could lead to key transfer call amid relegation battle

Nottingham Forest have suffered so many injuries this season that Steve Cooper’s “next man up” mantra has almost been tested to its limit.

That they seem to strike just when a particular player is finding form only adds to the sense of frustration. See, for instance, Taiwo Awoniyi earlier in the campaign, Neco Williams and now Danilo.

Collectively, the number of absentees have had a massive impact. Individually, losing key men has been extremely tough.

All have been missed to some degree, although some have left particularly big holes. In that sense, having Awoniyi and Ryan Yates back for the final games is a huge boost.

Dean Henderson also falls into that category, but the Reds do not have the luxury of having him available for the run-in. Arguably, losing the Manchester United loanee when they did proved a turning point in Forest’s season.

Cooper’s side had just hit a bit of momentum. They had gone from looking like the bunch of strangers they were early on to being more of a team when the goalkeeper hurt his thigh late on in the 2-0 victory over Leicester City in mid-January.

Given he has already been out for three-and-a-half months and will now not feature again this term, his absence has been really keenly felt. Moreover, Keylor Navas, who was brought in as cover, has been patchy during his time Trentside.

Henderson made mistakes too, of course, and had areas of his game he needed to work on, but Navas arrived with a particularly illustrious reputation. The PSG man is capable of pulling off spectacular saves, but also making the kind of errors you would not expect from someone of his calibre. If he can help keep the Reds in the Premier League, though, it will be mission accomplished.

Beyond that, Forest will have a decision to make on their goalkeeping department in the summer. Much will depend on which division they find themselves in, but if they do stay up, Henderson should be among the names on their shopping list.

At 26, he is still young in keeper terms and he quickly became a fans’ favourite at the City Ground. He has clearly bought into what Cooper is trying to achieve, too. He could be seen hugging members of the coaching staff after the win over Brighton and Hove Albion last week, and in last month’s 1-1 draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers he ran halfway down the touchline as he urged Emmanuel Dennis on when the attacker was pushing forward with the ball.

If it is to be another Championship promotion push the Reds end up planning for, getting Henderson back may be trickier. Even if they survive, there could well be a number of other Premier League teams eyeing him up, with Tottenham Hotspur already linked.

If that is his Forest career over, he certainly played his part. It is up to his teammates now to ensure the club are not left wondering about what might have been had he not taken that fateful goal-kick against the Foxes.

Would you like to see Henderson at Forest next season? Have your say in the comments below

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