Morgan Gibbs-White: Could Forest star face Villa and what are the head injury rules? | OneFootball

Nottingham Forest are monitoring Morgan Gibbs-White’s fitness ahead of the Europa League semi-final second leg at Villa Park, where they hold a 1-0 lead. The attacking midfielder has seven league goals since March and 16 in all competitions.

According to NY Times, the 26-year-old suffered a facial wound in Monday’s 3-1 win over Chelsea after a clash of heads with goalkeeper Robert Sanchez, and both were substituted on 66 minutes.

The cut above his nose and across his forehead was stitched, with images suggesting at least 16 stitches. Forest say he did not suffer concussion and will assess him today and tomorrow, with whether he can head the ball safely likely to decide.

Head coach Vitor Pereira said the player is in pain and that a final call will be taken with the medical staff after meetings around Wednesday’s training. Gibbs-White skipped the open session, which does not necessarily rule him out. Pereira said he hopes the midfielder can help.

Gibbs-White has been fitted for a protective mask. FA and UEFA permit non-dangerous masks or headgear made of soft padded material. UEFA concussion rules require medical evaluation and a graduated return, while the FA says any earliest return is seven days only with exceptional criteria and independent sign-off.

Murillo trained with the first team after returning from Qatar, but Ibrahim Sangare, Ola Aina, Dan Ndoye and Zach Abbott were absent, along with long-term casualties Callum Hudson-Odoi and Nicolo Savona.

Source: NY Times