Anthony Elanga came into the Aston Villa clash on the back of an imperious performance against Manchester United, but Saturday didn’t quite go right for him.
Elanga produced a Usain Bolt-esque sprint to carry the ball forward and score the only goal against United, a particularly important contribution given the current injury situation in the forward line.
Going into Saturday’s clash, Chris Wood was absent through injury but the task was made even more difficult for the Forest squad as Taiwo Awoniyi was mysteriously absent from the teamsheet.
Elanga and Callum Hudson-Odoi started the game as unorthodox strikers in an attempt to remain a threat at Villa, but the Swede was substituted at halftime, leading to confusion and concern that Nuno Espirito Santo had to answer after the game.
Nuno Espirito Santo provides Anthony Elanga update
Forest will offer Elanga a new deal after his incredible season but Saturday wasn’t his day, with the substitution giving Reds fans a fear that yet another of their attacking stars had picked up an injury.
Addressing the concern, Espirito Santo spoke to BBC Nottingham after the game but didn’t necessarily calm the nerves.
He said: “Let’s see, he wasn’t totally okay but let’s see, it [the substitution] was more about trying to help the boys and make the right adjustments.”
A rather cryptic update will do nothing to dispel the worry in the Reds fans as even intense fatigue could see Elanga miss next Saturday’s clash with Everton at the City Ground, an absence that the Forest manager can ill afford.
Alongside Elanga, Espirito Santo also gave an update on Wood and Awoniyi, where the update was once again not ideal.
Chris Wood and Taiwo Awoniyi fitness updates provided
Continuing in his post-match interview, the fitness of Awoniyi and Wood was also discussed to a similarly cryptic effect.
Espirito Santo said: “We must assess day by day the situation of Taiwo and the situation of Chris, we missed them so let’s see if they’re available for the next one.”
However, speaking on Sky Sports’ coverage of the game, the Portuguese manager added slightly more information on Awoniyi especially, stating that his hamstring was the concern.
With a hamstring issue, it seems unlikely that the Nigerian will be fit to play in just a week so all eyes focus on the fitness of Wood instead.
Nuno said Wood was feeling better in his pre-match press conference, but the extent of this will need to be understood further in the coming week as the anxious wait over the Everton game begins.
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