Nottingham Forest is hopeful key player Morgan Gibbs-White will return for their Premier League match against Brighton, as coach Sean Dyche confirms his minor injury is settling and praises his recent goal-scoring form.
Forest hope to be boosted by the return of key player Morgan Gibbs-White for their Premier League fixture against Brighton and Hove Albion on Sunday (2.05pm kick-off), according to a report from Sarah Clapson, Nottingham Forest correspondent, in Nottinghamshire Live.
The 25-year-old attacking midfielder was not involved in the club’s recent 3-0 Europa League victory over Malmo after sustaining a knock.
Head coach Sean Dyche described the issue as: “like a bad back, a bit of a waking-up sort of injury – one of those ones where you sleep funny or twist funny.”
Despite this setback, Dyche is optimistic about his key player’s availability for the weekend, stating: “Hopefully. Hopefully it is settling down… At this stage, we are not expecting it to be too serious and it is settling down already. We’re hopeful he will be right for the weekend.”
The positive injury news comes as the Reds maintain a strong run of form, having made it three wins on the spin and extending their unbeaten run to five games in all competitions. Gibbs-White has been integral to this turnaround, scoring four goals in six games since Dyche took over.
Dyche suggested that the player’s earlier struggles were due to off-field issues, noting that the midfielder, who came close to joining Tottenham Hotspur before penning a new deal, was affected by “a lot of noise in the summer.”
Dyche added: “I just wanted him to really play with a smile again… I said all of that was nothing to do with me, why don’t you just relax, train and play.
He has done that. For me, it has just been about taking a load off and enjoying his football. I think he is doing that.”