Nottingham Forest striker Chris Wood will miss the club’s FA Cup quarter-final clash with Brighton & Hove Albion after sustaining an injury while on international duty with New Zealand.
Wood, who has been in excellent form this season with 18 Premier League goals, played a key role in Forest’s campaign as they push for Champions League qualification. Last month, he netted a hat-trick when Forest thrashed Brighton 7-0 in the league.
During the international break, the 33-year-old helped New Zealand secure qualification for the 2026 World Cup, scoring a hat-trick in a 7-0 win over Fiji. However, he was forced off the pitch after picking up an injury in a subsequent match against New Caledonia.
Speaking ahead of Saturday’s FA Cup fixture, Forest manager Nuno Espírito Santo confirmed Wood’s absence.
“He went for a scan today, we are still waiting. He has been to a specialist for a scan. We will wait on the information and see,” Espírito Santo said.
“He will not be available for this game. He felt a kick really hard on his hip so there is pain there. We have to wait.”
While Wood has yet to score in the FA Cup this season, he played a crucial role in Forest’s penalty shootout victories over Exeter City and Ipswich Town, confidently converting the team’s first spot kick on both occasions.
With players returning from international duty, Espírito Santo noted that the club is still assessing potential injuries.
“Every time there is an international break we have to assess,” he said. “Many of them just arrived today. We are still waiting on (Paraguay’s) Ramon Sosa tomorrow and we will assess all of them.”
Morgan Gibbs-White, who received a late call-up to the England squad but did not feature in their matches against Albania and Latvia, is also set to return to club action. Espírito Santo dismissed any concerns about the midfielder’s mindset following his omission.
“Hopefully he gets a chance in the future… He doesn’t have to prove anybody wrong. This is not the state of mind that he should have,” the Forest boss stated. “He has to compete and play and give his teammates and Nottingham Forest everything he has. Things will come naturally.”
