Chris Wood is back in the Nottingham Forest squad, and it’s been long overdue.
When the New Zealand striker was injured during Ange Postecoglou’s last game in charge of Forest, it was anticipated that his injury would only be a minor one.
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However, prior to last week’s first leg against Porto, Wood hadn’t made a return to senior action with his knee problem requiring surgery, much to the annoyance of Sean Dyche.
Now, with Wood ready to spearhead the Forest attack, he’s shared his frustrations on his injury and confessed that he was pencilled in for the Leeds United defeat at Elland Road in February.
Nottingham Forest striker Chris Wood
Photo by Maynard Manyowa/News Images/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Chris Wood was pencilled in for Leeds clash in February
It’s been so detrimental for Forest not to have their striker in action for six months of the season, with Wood bagging 20 goals during 2024/25.
Wood will hope to score goals between now and the end of the season to try and preserve Forest’s Premier League status, and it’s great that he’s fit.
Forest were thrashed 3-1 by Leeds in February, and Wood was initially pencilled in for that game by Dyche, but has now admitted there were more complications with his injury.
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He said in his pre-match press conference: “It wasn’t a straightforward injury. We tried a few different avenues to get it right before having to go down the surgery route.
“It didn’t work out the way we wanted to, so we had to do what we had to do. It was a good outcome in the end. The goal was to come back this season, and luckily, I’ve been able to come back with a decent amount of time to help the team.
“We tried without surgery, and I got fairly close in February; that was a really frustrating point. I was a day or two from training with the team and a week away from selection.”
Wood will hope to be spearheading the attacking tonight against Porto, and the sooner he gets his first goal since his injury, the better.
Given that the World Cup takes place in the summer, Wood will hope to get back to full fitness, and first, he has a big job on his hands to ensure Forest remain in the Premier League.
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