Injuries are biting into the midfield
NOTTINGHAM Forest have injury problems in midfield ahead of their return to Championship action this weekend.
The Reds welcome Barnsley to the City Ground on Saturday, with boss Chris Hughton struggling for numbers in the centre of the pitch.
His team go into that game looking to put back-to-back defeats behind them, having lost to Middlesbrough in the League and been thumped by Swansea City in the FA Cup.
Harry Arter has been out of action since the FA Cup clash with Cardiff
City earlier this month, struggling with a calf problem.
The 31-year-old is due to return to training this week, however, with Hughton hoping it will not be long before he is available again.
The Forest boss said last week: “Harry Arter is still a little way away. He’s not too bad and we’re hoping he’s going to train next week.
“He is close. If it’s not next week, then it will be very close to that.”
Ryan Yates’s calf injury has come as a blow for the Reds, given the other midfielders they are still without.
He limped off in the closing stages against Boro last Wednesday night and is expected to spend up to three weeks on the sidelines.
Prior to the trip to Swansea, Hughton said: “It’s a big blow for us. We hope it’s not too serious.
“Whenever you have an injury, you have to allow a certain amount of time just for it to settle down, then you will scan it and that will tell you the extent of the injury.
“It’s a calf injury, but it’s really about what the extent of it is which will determine how long he’s out
for.
“It seems like it’s nothing more than that at this moment but what grade it is will determine how long he’s out for.” Jack Colback has not played since November due to an ankle problem and is expected to be still a few weeks away from a comeback. Hughton said last week: “Jack is a few more weeks after (Arter).” The Reds did see Luke Freeman and Fouad Bachirou return from their own spells on the sidelines at Swansea. Freeman’s only other appearance in the Garibaldi came in September, while Sabri Lamouchi was still in charge, and Bachirou had been absent since November. Forest also still have to manage Samba Sow’s knee injury carefully, although the 31-year-old has recently enjoyed a good run of fixtures in the League.