Nottingham Forest will be hoping to have Samba Sow back at their disposal in the near future, but they must tread carefully with the midfielder.
The hope is that an international break has come at a good time for the Malian.
He has been missing since facing Brentford on October 5.
Four games have been sat out, with the Reds taking six points from them.
At times, power in the middle of the park has been a glaring deficiency.
Sow offers that quality in spades.
Ryan Yates has slotted seamlessly back into the fold after making his own return to fitness, but the 21-year-old remains a work in progress.
Sow, at 30 years of age, is the finished article.
As a result, he needs to see as many minutes as possible.
Impact
He is one of several summer signings to have made an immediate impact on Trentside.
Alongside the likes of Brice Samba and Tiago Silva, an adjustment to English football has been made with ease.
Alfa Semedo has also shown signs of promise.
He is another to have spent more time on the treatment table of late than he would have liked.
Sabri Lamouchi told the Nottingham Post of two midfield generals prior to a 1-0 win over Derby: “I think Samba Sow and Alfa Semedo will probably train with us next week.”
We are now into said week.
Given that there is no domestic action until November 23, a few light days on the training field are to be expected.
Sow and Semedo need to be eased back into the fold.
There is no need to rush either back and risk breaking bodies that have already been bent out of shape.
In the case of Sow, his hamstring has to be handled with care.
Injuries in that area can prove troublesome and are easily aggravated.
The last thing Forest want is to get a key man out of the physio room, only to see him dragged straight back in.
Options
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The Reds are not short of options in the engine room.
With Semedo set to be chomping at the bit and Yates having shown against Luton and Derby that he remains a reliable part of rotation, the squad depth is there.
Games are also set to come thick and fast.
A trip to Bristol in the Reds’ next outing will be followed by a midweek one to QPR.
In total, nine games will be taken in before the end of 2019, with the New Year welcomed in at home to Blackburn.
Almost a quarter of the season will be played out in the space of five-and-a-bit weeks.
Sow will want to see as many of those games as possible.
Would his presence at Ashton Gate be most welcome? Of course.
It may, however, be that an introduction from the bench proves more beneficial in the long run than being thrown straight back into the starting XI.
This is a case – quite literally – of avoiding trying to run before you can walk!
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