Vitor Pereira hopes Nottingham Forest’s medical team can work ‘magic’ to get Morgan Gibbs-White fit for Thursday’s Europa League semi-final second leg.
Gibbs-White started on the bench against Chelsea, but came off the bench at half-time and set up Taiwo Awoniyi’s second as Forest picked up a huge 3-1 win at Stamford Bridge.
But the in-form English midfielder had to make way in the 66th minute following a collision with Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez.
Gibbs-White was bandaged and bleeding as he came off the pitch, but appears to have not sustained a concussion following the clash.
And Pereira is hopeful that the midfielder can recover in time for Forest’s huge semi-final second leg against Villa on Thursday.
‘I’m waiting, I’m not a doctor,’ the Forest boss said post-match. ‘Gibbs-White has a deep cut. We’ll see but he’s a fighter, he has a strong mentality.
‘I hope our medical department can do magic to put him in condition because he’s important for us. I said to him you don’t need to use the head just to play but we’ll see.’
Get personalised football updates every day
Sign up to our daily football newsletter and choose your team to get the latest news, rumours and more about your favourite team.
Asked if Gibbs-White could have to abide by concussion protocol, Pereira added: ‘I think not because I had a conversation with him.
‘He’s speaking normally and remembers everything. The only thing is to look for the face and the pain because he has pain now. We’ll see.’
Forest’s win on Monday moves them six points clear of 18th-place West Ham with two games remaining, but Pereira insisted his side won’t lose their focus until Premier League safety is securd.
‘Now we have nine points to get,’ he added. ‘Nine points to win, three games.
‘The idea is to start the game every time with three points on our mind to get from the game. I know my team and my players and this is the spirit that they started [with] today to get the three points to be ready for the next battlee.’
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.