Morgan Gibbs-White remains a doubt for Nottingham Forest ahead of their Premier League clash with Newcastle United this weekend.
The England international was left with a horrific cut down his face following a nasty clash of heads with Robert Sanchez during Forest’s victory over Chelsea on Monday.
The 26-year-old needed stitches across his forehead and down to the top of his nose but was included on the Forest bench in Thursday night’s Europa League semi-final showdown with Aston Villa.
Vitor Pereira’s side’s led 1-0 after last week’s first leg at the City Ground but conceded four without reply last night as their European dream came to an end.
Gibbs-White, wearing a protective face mask, did not come off the bench with Pereira later revealing there was never any real chance he would call upon his midfielder.
‘No, [not] even for penalties,’ Pereira said. ‘I asked them to be there with us to try to give us the energy but they are not in conditions to play. Gibbs-White, not in condition. [Ibrahim] Sangare is not in condition. Dan Ndoye is not in condition.
‘Murillo was not in condition but after, Jair [Cunha] had problems, and we risk a bit, but he’s not in condition. There is a lot of players all out.’
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Forest will be safe from relegation if they beat Newcastle on Sunday and West Ham fail to beat league leaders Arsenal later that day.
When asked if Gibbs-White will be available for the visit of Eddie Howe’s side, Pereira said: ‘I don’t know.
‘Aina, out. Dan Ndoye, out. Sangare, out. Callum, out. Murillo, out. Morgan, out. It is too much. I don’t know if some or one of them can recover for the next match. I don’t know.’
Asked if those players would make it back before the season comes to its conclusion, the Forest boss added: ‘I cannot answer because I don’t know.
‘I don’t know about Morgan. I don’t know about Ola. Callum is finished [for] the season. I don’t know about Murillo. Dan, I think Dan maybe can come back.
‘But in the end, I need tomorrow. That’s the day to understand the situation.’