Chris Wood injury update ahead of Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest clash
'Hopefully [he will be] better...'
Chris Wood remains a doubt for Nottingham Forest’s Premier League trip to Aston Villa on Saturday, Nuno Espirito Santo has confirmed.
Wood suffered a hip injury during the recent international break while playing for New Zealand, ruling him out of Forest’s last two games.
The 33-year-old was absent from the Forest squad which triumphed over Brighton in the FA Cup quarter-finals on penalties last week.
Wood then missed Forest’s 1-0 Premier League win over Manchester United, with many fans keen to know if he’ll make his return at Villa Park.
The striker has been in fine form for Forest this term, scoring 18 goals in 29 top-flight games and also providing three assists.
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Wood’s high number of goal involvements has made him a popular pick in Fantasy Premier League (FPL).
There could be bad news for FPL players who own Wood, though, with Nuno confirming that the New Zealander is still a doubt for Saturday.
It is not 100 per cent confirmed that Wood will miss the match, with Nuno confirming that he’s set for a late fitness test before the clash with Villa.
‘We are assessing [Wood],’ Nuno said in his pre-match press conference.
‘It is going to be day-by-day. Hopefully [he will be] better and he continues to improve.’
Wood has been one of Forest’s most impressive players this season, helping them climb all the way up to third in the Premier League table with just eight games to go.
Morgan Gibbs-White, Matz Sels, Nikola Milenkovic, Murillo and Elliot Anderson have all also shined under Nuno’s management.
Premier League icon Alan Shearer believes Milenkovic and Anderson were two of the best summer signings across the entire top-flight.
Fellow football pundit Paul Parker recently declared that Anderson is among the best midfielders in the Premier League at this moment in time.
‘When you look at Elliot Anderson, you have to look at his work rate,’ Parker told bettingexpert.
‘He is amazing and if he was playing for a more prominent side, he would be mentioned with England.
‘But he won’t because he plays for Forest, and it’s the same with Gibbs White. He should play for England, but he doesn’t even get looked at because he plays for Forest.
‘Anderson is a really good player and in my opinion he is one of the best midfielders in the Premier League.’
