Chris Wood ‘on track’ for mid-April return, potential Nottingham Forest boost | OneFootball

Chris Wood could be about a month from returning for Nottingham Forest, with New Zealand outlet The Post reporting the national team expect him to be ‘on track’ for a mid-April comeback.

The striker has not played since October and underwent knee surgery around the turn of the year. He has not been named in his country’s latest squad while he continues his recovery.

Several New Zealand players have been omitted due to injury, and manager Darren Bazeley has indicated they should be back before this summer’s World Cup.

Wood was Forest’s top Premier League scorer last season with 20 goals. This term Morgan Gibbs-White leads with seven, and a lack of cutting edge has kept Vitor Pereira’s side in the relegation fight.

Forest have stayed cautious about setting a return date. Wood has described the problem as swelling of the bone, was recently seen in a knee brace, then appeared more comfortable watching the warm-up against Wolverhampton Wanderers at the City Ground.

Pereira has said he hopes Wood recovers as soon as possible, admits he does not know exactly when the striker will be back, and stresses the forward is working hard.

Last month Wood said he had received positive news from his surgeon to move into the next stages of rehab. He added that progress was day by day and that he was working to be ready to help for the run-in.

Forest have eight games left and visit relegation rivals Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, their final outing before the international break.

Source: Nottingham Post