Midway through the international break, Nottingham Forest is preparing for its return to action against Burnley.
When the Premier League resumes after a two-week break, Steve Cooper’s team will be trying to maintain their strong start to the season. Next Monday night at City Ground, the Reds will play host to the recently promoted Clarets.
Following a busy end to the transfer window for Forest, Cooper will need to make some difficult selections for that match. And he will be hopeful that the break has allowed some players who are recovering from injuries the chance to rest.
However, it appears that some team members sustained injuries while serving their respective nations on duty. We examine the current state of affairs.
Andrew Elanga
Damage: Unknown.
What is known: Prior to the European qualifying match against Latvia, word came from the Sweden camp on Sunday that the winger had withdrawn from international duty. Elanga won’t be available for the upcoming match because he was not used as a substitute in his nation’s 5-0 victory over Estonia on Saturday.
The men’s national team of Sweden released the following statement: “Striker Anthony Elanga has left the squad due to a minor injury. As a result, he missed Sunday’s workout. The nature of the injury has not been determined.
Danilo may have a hamstring injury.
What is known: The Brazilian was scheduled to play against Burnley in the Carabao Cup, but a last-minute substitution was made because of a hamstring injury. He received a scan before the match against Chelsea and was questionable to travel.
The midfielder was given the go-ahead to start the game, but he only played for about 45 minutes. He tripped up before the end of the first half and left the field after getting medical attention there. He ultimately left the Brazil Under-23 team.
Knee injury to Felipe.
What is known is that the defender missed all of the Reds’ preseason games due to a knee problem and hardly trained over the summer. Despite sitting on the bench against the Clarets and at Stamford Bridge this season, he has yet to play for the first team. After that, he spent an hour last week playing for the Under-21s against Harrogate Town in the EFL Trophy.
What has been said: Cooper said ahead of the Chelsea game that Felipe has resumed training. He sat on the bench on Wednesday night. We all know how important he was to us last season, so it’s encouraging that he’s returned.
Through a translator, Felipe stated last month: “There were a lot of different things, different niggles. It was discovered that I had kneecap fibrosis, which was restricting my movement. But everything has now been sorted and recovered.
I had it the previous year. The same thing happened, except it was a little more intense. I would treat it and take medicine to control it.
“I made a lot of compromises to get on the field, so it was extremely delicate at the conclusion of the season. In order to prevent future issues, it was decided that I should take this time to rest and heal.
Wayne Hennessey
Injury: Unknown.
What is known is that the shot-stopper needed surgery after hurting his knee while representing Wales internationally in the summer. Despite not being included in the match team, he participated in the goalkeepers’ warm-up at Chelsea, showing signs of approaching fitness.
He later joined Wales and sat on the sidelines during their recent friendly against South Korea. Over the weekend, it was revealed that he had left the team because of a “unspecified” ailment. He will therefore be absent from Latvia’s Euro 2024 qualifying match tonight.
Injury of Giulian Biancone’s ACL.
What is known: Early in the previous campaign, the defender was hurt during a routine training activity, tearing his anterior cruciate ligament. He had surgery in Austria, completed some of his recovery there, and then came back to the UK at the conclusion of the previous term. Despite Forest’s continued caution with him, he has played some minutes for the B squad.
What has been said: Last month, Cooper said, “He’s getting closer because he’s completely training and he’s had some minutes already. “He’s closer, but he also suffered a really significant injury, and a management regimen is still in place. We keep an eye on that every day.