Nottingham Forest drew 1-1 with Bournemouth at the City Ground as they got their Premier League campaign underway.
Chris Wood scored the goal for Forest and drew praise from Chris Sutton after the game.
However, Antoine Semenyo equalised for the visitors – and they richly deserved their goal for their second-half performance.
Forest will try and take the positives from the performance but it was a day when doing just that was particularly difficult.
The Reds stars had to witness Danilo treated for a serious injury just 10 minutes into the game and he was stretchered off.
He’s now facing a lengthy lay-off and after the game, Nuno Espirito Santo shared what the team will miss about the midfielder.
Nuno shares Danilo praise and lauds Brazilian star
It’s never nice to see players get badly injured but that is what happened yesterday with Danilo.
The player was treated for an extended period of time before being stretchered from the field in a lot of discomfort.
Espirito Santo has explained that he won’t just be missed on the pitch but away from it too.
He told BBC Sport: “It’s a tough moment for us all, especially for Danilo. We don’t know yet what has happened but we know it’s serious. We’re going to miss him, not just as a player but as a person as well. He is a top, top player and person.
“Since last season he has been talented in the way he manages the game. He is a very good player so it’s a tough moment. Everyone loves him in the dressing room.”
Danilo can bounce back from cruel setback
Although football is an unforgiving beast sometimes, the wounded Reds star can work his way back to top form following this setback.
Danilo appeared to post that he was recovering at home following his ankle break already and that must be a good sign.
At 23, the midfielder does have some time on his side and the club will give him complete support when it comes to his recovery.
Professional footballers notoriously recover quickly from injuries and hopefully, Forest fans can see Danilo back on the pitch again this season.
Receive a digest of our best Nottingham Forest content each week direct to your mailbox
