Morgan Gibbs-White’s face was stitched and bandaged by the end of Monday’s 3-1 win over Chelsea, and Nottingham Forest are still waiting to find out whether the 26-year-old can play again this week. The forward collided heads with Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez in the 66th minute, and both men were taken off with heavy strapping around their heads.
Forest said after the match that Gibbs-White had avoided a concussion, and they are continuing to say the same as they prepare for the second leg of their Europa League semi-final against Aston Villa. The club will assess him again on Wednesday and Thursday before deciding whether to involve him at Villa Park, where they hold a 1-0 advantage from the first leg at the City Ground.
Vitor Pereira did not try to dress up the uncertainty. “He is in pain, for sure,” he said, adding that no final decision had been made on his availability. “We will see, until tomorrow if he is able or not to play, we will see,” Pereira said, describing the call as one for the player, the medical department and himself. “I honestly hope he can play and he can help us,” he added.
The injury matters because Gibbs-White has become central to Forest’s season. He has seven league goals since the start of March and 16 in all competitions, numbers that help explain why the club have already fitted him for a mask. The FA and UEFA rules allow for non-dangerous protective masks or headgear if they are made of soft, lightweight padded material and do not endanger other players.
There is still a gap between preparation and certainty. Forest have a protective mask ready, and Pereira sounded hopeful, but the decision will be made only after the medical checks later in the week. The question is not whether Gibbs-White wants to play. It is whether he can do so safely enough to make it worth the risk in a tie Forest are already leading.
Elsewhere at training, Murillo returned with the first-team squad after coming back from Qatar, where he had been recovering from a muscle problem. Ibrahim Sangare, Ola Aina and Dan Ndoye were not involved, and Zach Abbott was also absent despite Pereira having previously said he would be fit and available.