Some Nottingham Forest players have now jetted off to various destinations as international football takes centre stage.
Forest lost 2-1 to Newcastle on Friday night and they’ve slipped down to 16th place in the Premier League.
The Reds have fallen off a cliff somewhat since they beat Leeds at the City Ground in early February. Since then they’ve taken two points from six games and are in a real slump.
The Nigel Doughty Training Ground will be pretty quiet this week, with several players heading off to represent their respective countries.
Forest had a few members of their squad head off to the World Cup in Qatar at the end of last year. It was a proud moment for the club and some of those players have been called up once again.
In terms of players who have been called up the list is quite extensive.
Nottingham Forest players called up to play international football:
Wayne Hennessey – Wales
Neco Williams – Wales
Brennan Johnson – Wales
Remo Freuler – Switzerland
Serge Aurier – Ivory Coast
Andre Ayew – Ghana
Orel Mangala – Belgium
Renan Lodi – Brazil
Dale Taylor – Northern Ireland
Braian Ojeda – Paraguay
Brandon Aguilera – Costa Rica
Chris Wood – New Zealand
Morgan Gibbs-White – England under-21s
Oli Hammond – Wales under-21s
Jamie McDonnell – Northern Ireland under-19s
Theo Robinson – Wales under-19s
With many players called up for international duty, there will be more room than usual at the City Ground.
However, there will still be plenty of players for Cooper to work with as they prepare for a must-win game against Wolves after the break.
Nottingham Forest players who have remained at the City Ground:
Keylor Navas
Joe Worrall
Jonjo Shelvey
Jack Colback
Jesse Lingard
Harry Toffolo
Sam Surridge
Moussa Niakhate
Ryan Yates
Emmanuel Dennis
Danilo
Gustavo Scarpa
Felipe
Furthermore, the Reds also have a number of players who are still nursing injury problems.
This international break could be fantastic for the Reds in the sense that for two weeks, certain stars can continue their rehabilitation and get fit.
The Reds have 11 games left of the 2022/23 campaign. They’re currently just two points clear of the relegation zone and desperately need a return to form.
Nottingham Forest players who are injured:
Taiwo Awoniyi (Groin)
Dean Henderson (Thigh)
Giulian Biancone (Knee)
Cheikhou Kouyate (Hamstring – training with Senegal squad)
Scott McKenna – (Hamstring)
Willy Boly (Hamstring)
For the injured players, this will be a massive period.
All of the injured players except for Boly and Biancone could return this season and ultimately they now have two weeks to get themselves right.
Some will take longer to return than others but certainly, Kouyate and Awoniyi might fancy their chances of playing in the game against Wolves after the break.