Lorenzo Lucca 'to undergo' consultation in Rome amid ankle issue before Midtjylland tie | OneFootball

Nottingham Forest striker Lorenzo Lucca has travelled to Italy for an injury assessment amid an ankle problem, Tuttomercatoweb reports.

The Napoli loanee started against Fenerbahce in the Europa League a little over a week ago, was taken off at half-time, then missed league games against Brighton and Hove Albion and Manchester City.

He is understood to have gone to Rome for medical checks, the issue described as minor with no suggestion of a long lay-off, so a return could come soon.

A break in the schedule may have influenced the trip, with Forest out of the FA Cup and free this weekend before hosting Midtjylland in the first leg of their last-16 tie next Thursday.

Head coach Vitor Pereira has not disclosed any injury details. Before Wednesday’s 2-2 draw at the Etihad, he said he had spoken to Lucca and stressed arriving happy and proving yourself in training.

Lucca scored on debut off the bench in last month’s 3-1 loss at Leeds United but has struggled since. It seems unlikely Forest will take up the £35 million buy option this summer, though they hope he can still contribute in the run-in.

Goals have been scarce. Chris Wood remains a long-term absentee, with hope he could return for the final games. Igor Jesus has led the line without matching his Europa League output domestically, and Taiwo Awoniyi has covered from the bench in the last two matches.

Source: Nottingham Post