Head coach Steve Cooper says he is “hopeful” Morgan Gibbs-White, Serge Aurier and Wayne Hennessey will be available for Nottingham Forest’s trip to face Manchester United.
The trio were absent on Wednesday night as the Reds eased into the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup with a thumping 4-1 win over Blackburn Rovers. The squad now have almost a week before they are in action again, when they head to Old Trafford for their first Premier League game back after the World Cup break.
Gibbs-White took a kick in the first half of Forest’s friendly victory over Valencia and was immediately substituted, while Aurier felt a twinge in his calf against Olympiacos. Goalkeeper Hennessey was on the bench in Spain, having returned from representing Wales in Qatar. Assuming he is fit, he will start between the posts on December 27, as first-choice Dean Henderson is ineligible to play against his parent club.
