Nottingham Forests Williams out for rest of season Niakhate and Awoniyi doubts for Brentford
Steve Cooper says it is a “blow” for Nottingham Forest and for Neco Williams that the defender will miss the rest of the Premier League season.
The Wales international has undergone surgery on a fractured jaw, sustained during the 3-1 win over Brighton & Hove Albion and, while surgery went well, he is not expected to return before the end of the campaign.
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Williams, 22, was injured when he and Forest teammate Brennan Johnson both challenged to attack a Morgan Gibbs-White cross.
And, as Cooper prepares his side for a difficult trip to Brentford tomorrow, Forest also have injury doubts over Moussa Niakhate and Taiwo Awoniyi.
“The news is not good, when you saw the collision on the pitch, you feared the worse and unfortunately it is bad news, with the fractured jaw,” said Cooper.
“He has had an operation and it has gone well. It rules him out for the season and now he is on the road to recovery.
“It is a difficult situation for him. He had got himself back into the team recently and was playing well and had confidence about him and a spring in his step. It’s a blow for us and a blow for him.”
Williams had made 20 Premier League starts and 11 sub appearances following his £17million move from Liverpool last summer and had recently looked far more effective in a wing-back role, having previously been utilised as a full-back.
Forest will also carefully assess Niakhate, who also limped off early in the win over Brighton and Awoniyi, who was able to continue after picking up a heavy knock to his shoulder, but has been feeling the impact of that since.
“It is still inconclusive with that one, we will have to see with regards to tomorrow but we definitely did the right thing, because he felt something in the game and we were able to make the change,” said Cooper, when asked about Niakhate.
“But regarding the extent of his availability we will have to wait and see on that.”
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Forest currently have at least 11 players sidelined with injury, including an increasing number of central defenders, with Scott McKenna (collar bone), Willy Boly (hamstring), Giulian Biancone (knee) and, potentially, Niakhate on the injury list.
“It is frustrating, but there is no point in focusing on it too much. It is unfortunate, particularly when a lot of them are contact injuries,” added Cooper.
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“But we have a game to play and we will focus on our plan for that; on what we need to do in what will be a tough game – and not on the lads who will not be with us.”
Cooper says that Jonjo Shelvey is also carrying a slight knock, but confirmed that there had also been a training ground disagreement with the midfielder.
The former Newcastle and Liverpool player reacted badly after being told that he would only be on the bench at Anfield last weekend and was left out of the squad entirely as a result.
“Jonjo is available,” said Cooper. “He was carrying a knock last week and there was one or two other things, it is not a big a drama, in some ways it was a training ground thing, but it is past us and we are looking forward to going to Brentford. He is 100 per cent available.
“Everyone is good, we are looking forward. He is really well liked in the dressing room and we need everybody in the situation we are in, with the injuries we are picking up. There is no ill-feeling in any way, shape or form, regardless of what may or may not have been said.
“We need everyone to stick together and get behind everybody and that’s what we’re doing.”
Shelvey, 31, has had a difficult start to his Forest career following his January arrival from Newcastle, making two costly mistakes in his six starts and two sub appearances.
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(Photo: Getty Images)
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