Sean Dyche joked he needed a list to detail the full extent of Nottingham Forest's injury issues ahead of his first return to his former club Everton
Morgan Gibbs-White warms up prior to the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Nottingham Forest at Molineux. Photo by Jack Thomas/Getty Images
Morgan Gibbs-White warms up prior to the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Nottingham Forest at Molineux. Photo by Jack Thomas/Getty Images
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Nottingham Forest will travel to Everton with eight players unavailable through injury and two more dealing with knocks that have left their fitness in doubt. Manager Sean Dyche joked he had brought a list with him to the club’s pre-match press conference on Thursday, before running through a roll call of absentees.
It included the likes of Chris Wood, Douglas Luiz and Oleksandr Zinchenko.
Defender Murillo is also a doubt for Dyche’s first return to Everton since his tenure ended in January while star man Morgan Gibbs-White has reported a minor complaint that has led to him being withdrawn late in each of the past two games.
Forest will arrive at Hill Dickinson Stadium following a 1-0 win at Wolverhampton Wanderers in midweek. It was Forest's third victory in four Premier League games - a run of form that included the 3-0 hammering of Liverpool at Anfield and which has moved them out of the bottom three.
Those results also highlight the depth of the squad at Dyche’s disposal, given they were set against a backdrop of injuries that have not prevented the progress of recent weeks.
Talking through the squad ahead of Everton, Dyche said: “Woody is making a bit of progress but it is still early days yet. Taiwo [Awoniyi] is on the grass and doing well. Douglas Luiz is close to getting back to training with us. Angus Gunn is a bit delayed with his but is getting better.
"Dilane Bakwa had 60 minutes with the B Team, which is good. He came through unscathed but it is a case of gently, gently as he gets match fit. Zinchenko is on the grass and is doing fine. He is on his way back. Ola [Aina] is still a bit of time yet.
“Murillo was touch and go with his hamstring, then he has been ill since. We are just monitoring him daily and are hoping he recovers quickly.”
On Gibbs-White, who has been playing through a stiff back, Dyche said: “I think he’s all right.
“We’ve got a few knocks at the minute; we are playing a lot of games and a few of the guys have been playing a lot of football. Morgan is one of them.
“We have got a few knocks, more than anything. I don’t think it’s anything serious.”
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