Nottingham Forest fans left distraught at 'disastrous' Chris Wood news
Chris Wood will return to Nottingham Forest from international duty with the entire Reds fanbase holding their collective breaths.
Wood has emerged as Forest's talisman this season and has been their leading man in front of goal, with 18 Premier League goals as Nuno Espirito Santo's side upset the established order in the top-flight.
Forest sit third with a five-point cushion to fourth-placed Chelsea heading into the final nine league games of the season, and will be reliant on Wood's goals to help secure Champions League qualification.
However, the last international break of the season could have scuppered Forest's chances of finishing in the top four or five, with Espirito Santo potentially deprived of his number 11 for the home straight.
Chris Wood suffers injury blow away from Nottingham Forest
Wood's scoring form in Forest red has continued in a New Zealand All Whites shirt over the international break, as the 32-year-old netted a hat-trick in their 7-0 victory over Fiji in Wellington on Friday.
| Player | Played | Started | Goals | Assists | Yellow Cards |
| Chris Wood | 32 | 28 | 18 | 3 | 1 |
| Taiwo Awoniyi | 26 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Facing New Caledonia on Monday, however, Wood picked up a knock to his hip and was substituted before the hour mark; absent as New Zealand won 3-0 and sealed their place at the 2026 World Cup.
New Zealand booking their place at next year's tournament concludes Wood's international exploits until the end of the season, but Espirito Santo will be hoping with baited breath that his frontman returns fit.
Chris Wood 'Disaster' leaves Forest fans fearing the worst
News of Wood picking up any injury – let alone a first-half knock which he aggravated to the best part of an hour – wouldn't have gone down well in the Forest faithful, and that's certainly proven to be the case.
Fans on social media debated the impact Wood being absent could have in the short-term, with several pointing out the time difference of New Zealand's match meant many supporters woke up to the news.
Taiwo Awoniyi's ability to produce a similar output to Wood has been questioned for much of this season, and fans were united in hope that the New Zealand frontman will be back fit and firing as soon as possible.