Nottingham Forest spent the summer adding to their squad in order to give boss Sabri Lamouchi the best possible chance of a successful season.
No fewer than 12 players were signed by the Reds with several new recruits already having an impact on the pitch.
One player who has struggled to play much for the Reds is Carl Jenkinson. The right-back signed for a fee in the region of £2 million from Arsenal (Daily Mail), ending his eight-year association with the Gunners.
The 27-year-old suffered several niggling injuries during his time at the Emirates Stadium and such misfortune has struck early into his Forest career.
Jenkinson injured his ankle during the 1-1 draw with Preston North End back in August and isn’t expected to return until after the international break in November, according to BBC Radio Nottingham.
It was harsh on the new signing, with his first three appearances highlighting clear quality at Championship level.
With Tendayi Darikwa already out for the majority of the season with an ACL injury, Matty Cash has been adopted as a makeshift right-back.
The academy graduate is getting better with each game in the unfamiliar position, so is Jenkinson already facing a fight to win a regular place in the Forest team.
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The lack of a right-sided full-back was what prompted Lamouchi into pursuing the signature of one. Darikwa’s injury rocked Forest and he would have almost certainly started the season as the first choice in that position.
It is desperately unfortunate for Jenkinson. The man with one England cap would have relished the chance to leave Arsenal and play regular first-team football but once again he now has a fight on his hands.
Competition
Forest’s form won’t help his cause for an instant return to the side either. The Reds haven’t lost since the opening day of the season and with the starting eleven starting to look settled, any returning player knows they could end up being patient.
In eight years with Arsenal, the defender managed just 70 appearances due to a mixture of injuries and better players being available in his position.
Loan spells at Birmingham and West Ham enabled him to play first-team football but at both clubs, injury issues reared their ugly head once more.
Jenkinson has signed for three years at the City Ground and he will hope to get lots of games under his belt; whilst some luck on the injury front wouldn’t go amiss either.
Right now Cash is in control of his own destiny at right-back and when he is fit, Jenkinson faces a real fight to get back into Lamouchi’s team.
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