Nottingham Forest defender Omar Richards will step up his training as he looks to get on the pitch in the Garibaldi. The 25-year-old is yet to make a single appearance for the Reds since checking in from Bayern Munich last summer.
It’s hard not to feel some sympathy for the left-back. After making a £10 million switch from Germany, it was anticipated that he would be a decent option for Steve Cooper at left-back.
Instead, he spent the entire campaign on the sidelines with a couple of serious injury problems. First, he suffered a hairline fracture in his shin bone and afterwards, he required surgery on a hernia issue.
It was anticipated that Richards would have made his return by now. Instead, he’s still trying desperately to get himself back to full fitness, with the new season just around the corner.
Now, The Athletic has claimed that Richards will start ramping things up in training with the Forest first team. Ola Aina will likely start the season as the left-back but there is little in the way of competition.
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It’s not clear at this stage what is happening with Harry Toffolo. He’s also not featured during pre-season and he’s facing a ban after being charged with some betting breaches.
With that in mind, Richards might have hoped to have been able to play by now. He will hope that he can impress Cooper pretty quickly and get himself out on the pitch this season.
Richards will step up his training with the Forest senior ranks
The Reds would dearly love to get the left-back involved with things once again. Forest need to have options and Richards is a player who could star once he gets going.
At 25, the player is at a nice age and he fits the profile of a Cooper signing down to the ground. From Richards’ perspective, he will be desperate to get on the pitch and show what he can do.
It’s great to hear that he’s now set to step up his rehabilitation. The fan base are right behind him in his recovery and hopefully, he can get an appearance under his belt very soon.