Nottingham Forest head coach Steve Cooper has confirmed that Joe Worrall has damaged his ribs and will miss six weeks of action. The boss was speaking to BBC Radio Nottingham after yesterday’s 2-1 win against Derby County.
The defender watched on as goals from Lewis Grabban and Brennan Johnson continued Forest’s dominance in the derby-day contests.
Now, the Reds must deal with the fact that the 25-year-old will be missing for a considerable period of time. He will miss some vital games, including the FA Cup clash with Leicester City.
Worrall has been an integral part of a three-man defence under Steve Cooper. He has been instrumental and this injury will certainly hurt the Forest ranks.
Luckily, Steve Cook has been added to the squad but Forest will still feel the absence of Worrall at the heart of their defensive unit.
The youngster does appear to be Premier League-bound. He is a quality player at Championship level and Forest can count themselves lucky to have him.
Worrall has been something of a stalwart at Forest. He has made 160 appearances for the Reds and has excelled in a larger number of those outings.
Problem: Worrall injury is a big blow for Forest
Worrall missing for six weeks is a big blow but Forest are pretty well-stocked at the back. Steve Cook has arrived and will likely partner with Scott McKenna at the back.
Tobias Figueiredo and Loic Mbe Soh are also in the ranks and the centre of defence does look to be quite healthy at the moment.
Forest will miss Worrall though. He’s the defender tasked with playing out from the back and that aspect of his game will be missed.
Ryan Yates slotted in at the heart of defence yesterday but ultimately it didn’t quite work. Steve Cooper changed the formation after half an hour helped Forest to a famous win.
Forest will hope that Worrall’s absence doesn’t derail their promotion bid.