Nottingham Forest striker Lewis Grabban looks set to be out of action for six weeks, according to The Athletic.
The talisman limped out of Forest’s 2-1 defeat at Cardiff on Sunday after taking a heavy whack on the ankle after a challenge from Will Vaulks.
It’s a big blow for Forest to lose their influential captain for a prolonged period of time; although at first glance it looked as though it could be a really serious injury.
Now, the challenge for Steve Cooper is to decide how to fill the void.
Keinan Davis has scored two goals in his last two games, with Forest also signing Sam Surridge from Stoke during transfer deadline day.
Grabban has scored 13 goals for the Reds this season but he could now miss up to 10 games as Forest go on the hunt for a top-six place.
The 34-year-old is out of contract during the summer. He would have hoped to claim another 20-goal haul and hopefully prove to the club that he deserves a new deal.
Now, Grabban will hope to undergo a positive period of rehabilitation and come back firing on all cylinders.
Blow: Grabban loss is sizeable but another Forest hero must stand up
Football is a squad game these days and Forest now have a conundrum to crack. Grabban’s absence is a huge loss but opportunity will knock for someone else.
Davis has started to find the net and Surridge has openly spoken of how much he loves playing under Cooper.
That bodes well and Forest also have Xande Silva in the ranks; although his finishing has been erratic of late.
Losing a top goalscorer is never ideal but ultimately others must now step up to the plate.
Davis and Surridge are both decent options and it will be interesting to see which avenue Cooper chooses to go down.
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