Nottingham Forest striker Chris Wood was forced off injured on international duty ahead of Man United's upcoming visit to the City Ground.
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Chris Wood walks off the pitch alongside a member of the New Zealand medical team.
Chris Wood (right) was forced off injured on international duty.(Image: David Rowland/AFP via Getty Images.)
Nottingham Forest could find themselves sweating on the availability of leading goalscorer Chris Wood ahead of next Tuesday night's Premier League clash with Manchester United at the City Ground.
Wood, who has been a revelation for Forest this season, was forced off early in the second half of New Zealand's 3-0 win over New Caledoni in the early hours of Monday morning (GMT). He was substituted after 54 minutes and was replaced by Kosta Barbarouses, who went on to score his team's second goal.
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As Wood exchanged places with the Wellington Phoenix attacker, the 33-year-old limped off showing signs of a potential hip injury.
The contest was still 0-0 at the time of Wood's premature exit but his teammates rallied and got the job done, securing a 3-0 win to secure qualification for next year's World Cup.
On losing Wood, New Zealand chief Darren Bazeley told France24: "It's not great for us losing our captain and our goalscorer. It was a difficult thing for the team but they came through so well.”
Forest, of course, will now have their fingers crossed that Wood's injury is not overly serious as they prepare for the latter stages of the campaign. He has scored 18 Premier League goals this season, firing the Midlands outfit to third in the table with nine games left to play.
Forest's next Premier League outing is against United in just over a week's time, meaning they will be determined to have him available for selection. He scored in Forest's 3-2 win at Old Trafford back in December.
But before Nuno Espirito Santo's side can focus on the upcoming clash with United, they will first attempt to secure their first FA Cup semi-final appearance since 1991 when they face Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday. Kick-off at the Amex Stadium is 5.15pm.
Wood has not started any of Forest's opening three FA Cup matches this season, meaning they are unlikely to take any risks on their leading goalscorer amid their pursuit of Champions League qualification.
Espirito Santo will most likely issue an update on Wood's condition when he speaks to the media later this week to preview Forest's clash with Brighton.
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