Nottingham Forest head coach Steve Cooper has provided a positive injury update on Cheikhou Kouyate. The boss has been speaking with the club’s official media team ahead of Saturday’s trip to Tottenham.
The 33-year-old signed for the Reds during the summer on a free transfer. He had made a decent start to life at the City Ground but picked up an injury at the World Cup in Qatar.
Disaster struck for Kouyate in Senegal’s first game of the tournament. He was stretchered from the field during their clash with Holland and he’s not featured for Forest since returning.
The experienced midfielder has been a very decent player for the Reds. He’s played in his natural position and also acted as a central defender when Cooper has deemed fit.
Kouyate has made 13 appearances for the Reds in all competitions. The man who has previously played for West Ham and Crystal Palace will be a welcome addition to the squad and a return is close.
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Cooper told the official media team: “Cheikhou Kouyate has done a little bit of training this week so he’s close.
“We didn’t want to risk him today when the snow came down as it would have been silly to do that, but he’s been back training.”
Forest head coach Cooper has provided a positive update on Kouyate
This is welcome news for the Reds. It seems unlikely that he will make the trip to Tottenham this weekend but perhaps a return is on the cards for a home game with Newcastle next week.
Kouyate is a big presence in the middle of the park for Forest. He’s been largely impressive since he signed for the club on a free transfer and his experience has been sorely missed.
Given that his injury was a hamstring problem, Forest will want to tread with caution. They won’t want him to suffer a setback and perhaps the Reds will ease him back into the first-team fold.