Credit: Imago

Evan Lloyd

Fri 3 April 2026 10:00, UK

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Chris Wood is set to make his long-awaited return to action for Nottingham Forest in the coming days after spending the majority of the season on the injury table.

The striker suffered a knee injury against Chelsea in October and was initially ruled out for a couple of months.

Complications along the way have seen that period of absence grow and grow, however, with surgery at the end of last year providing fears that Wood would miss the rest of the season.

In a massive boost, the striker is now close to making a full return and scored for Nottingham Forest’s Under-21s last month.

Wood was key to both Nottingham Forest’s form and the form of his teammate, Morgan Gibbs-White, last season.

Chris Wood and Morgan Gibbs-White connection to be re-established

Wood’s return is targeted against FC Porto next week, with Nottingham Forest set to face the Portuguese side in the quarter-finals of the Europa League.

The 34-year-old has already got back to scoring ways, finding the net against Newcastle United’s U21s in March with a header from close range.

And Vitor Pereira will hope that he can do a similar job for his team in the next two months for what could be a magical run-in.

In the backdrop of Nottingham Forest’s fight against relegation has been their Europa League campaign.

With the relationship of Gibbs-White and Wood set to be back up front, it does not seem like the wildest proposition to suggest they could well go on and win it.

The pair were key to everything good Nottingham Forest did last season, with a combined 38 direct goal contributions in the Premier League.

Five of those came as a result of the pair directly linking up with each other. Considering Wood netted 20 last season, it is not a surprise that Gibbs-White has struggled to match his creative numbers without him.

But the striker helped him with his own opportunities, too, constantly moving and creating space to run into for the England international.

What Wood said about ‘outstanding talent’ Gibbs-White

Gibbs-White is still hoping to put in a late bid to go to the World Cup with England this summer, and the sight of the midfielder linking up with Wood may well convince Thomas Tuchel of his readiness.

Speaking to Nottingham Forest in 2024, the Kiwi said: “Morgan, obviously, we have to try and play close together; we are very defensive-minded together, working together.

“He is an outstanding talent and he’s shown why he’s in the England squad and why he should be there consistently.

“A guy that we’ve worked on forming a relationship on the pitch and off the pitch, and yeah, he likes to play the ball forward; he always wants to play that attacking ball, which as a striker is what you want because you want to get chances in front of goal.

“So he’s a fantastic number 10 and he’s going to obviously go on some massive things in the game.”

The immediate aim for both players will be to keep Nottingham Forest in the Premier League. Should they find their groove once more, who knows what else is possible?