National media show sympathy for Nottingham Forest star, touched the ball 14 times during friendly

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Nottingham Forest have a host of players away playing football for their respective countries as international football takes centre-stage as the Premier League takes a break.

The Reds have started the campaign in unbeaten fashion, claiming a win over Southampton and drawing games against Bournemouth and Wolves at the City Ground.

Forest will be hoping that later this week all of their players can return to training fit and healthy, with a tough-looking trip to Liverpool on the horizon for the Reds at the weekend.

So far the Forest players on duty all over the world have had a varying degree of success. Morgan Gibbs-White played for England last night, coming on as a substitute, whilst Anthony Elanga was hooked during Sweden’s win over Azerbaijan.

• READ MORE: Gabby Agbonlahor raves about one Forest star

National media deliver verdict on Chris Wood performance for New Zealand

This one was billed as a game that would see Wood – the New Zealand captain – go up against Santiago Gimenez, the man who Forest desperately wanted in the summer.

It was the Feyenoord man who came out on top, however, with Mexico smashing New Zealand 3-0 during a comprehensive victory for the star striker and his teammates.

According to The New Zealand Herald, Wood wasn’t particularly bad during the game. Instead, the lack of service to the big man up top was critiqued by the publication.

The service to Wood was poor during the clash. He was unable to carve out any chances for himself and it proved a frustrating contest for the Forest talisman who scored 15 goals in all competitions last season.

Sofa Score showcases just how frustrating the day was for Wood. He touched the ball just 14 times during his 70 minutes on the pitch and he also lost possession on six occasions.

Forest need Wood to return to Forest fit and healthy

The 32-year-old talisman has started this season where he left off during 203/24. He already has two goals to his name, scoring both goals that Forest have scored at home this season.

Wood is the first choice striker in Nuno Espirito Santo’s team. Taiwo Awoniyi is the man in reserve and after failing to land a striker, the Reds really need Wood to stay fit this season.

The striker has another game against the USA to get through before he will head back to England. It could be a short turnaround for Wood as Forest go to Liverpool on Saturday but it’s vital that he’s good to go at the weekend.