Head coach Steve Cooper has confirmed that Scott McKenna is back in training for Nottingham Forest after missing the last seven matches.
The 26-year-old limped out of the 2-0 defeat against Fulham back in February and has been sidelined for around six weeks.
Now, the uncompromising Scotland defender is stepping up his recovery; with Cooper quizzed on the defender earlier today.
McKenna was virtually ever-present for the Reds last season. He played all but one of Forest’s 46 Championship fixtures and won the club’s Player of the Year award.
The centre-back signed for the Reds in 2020. He cost the club a fee that could eventually rise to around £6.5 million and he’s been a really shrewd addition.
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Now, he’s stepping up his recovery, with Cooper offering some promising news on McKenna this morning.
He told the club’s official website: “Scott McKenna is back in training which is a real positive for us.”
McKenna isn’t just a quality player but he’s a quality influence on his teammates. When he was at Aberdeen, Joe Lewis called him a ‘complete professional’ and it’d be huge to get him back.
Felipe and Moussa Niakhate are the current players in possession of the shirts at centre-back, with Joe Worrall providing backup from the bench.
Cooper has confirmed McKenna is back in training
It will be a huge boost to get McKenna back in a Forest shirt. He was just starting to showcase his quality and he’s a very useful player.
It’s unlikely that the Scotland international will go straight back into the team. Felipe and Niakhate are playing well and they will be the first-choice partnership.
Niakhate has only just returned from injury and having another left-sided centre-back would be ideal.
McKenna will be raring to go when he gets back into the squad and he will be desperate to pick up where he left off before his injury.