Dean Henderson will have to spend more time out of the game than previously thought, as the Manchester United loanee underwent scans after an injury sustained while playing for Nottingham Forest.
As The Peoples Person reported earlier this week, Forest boss Steve Cooper feared a muscle injury that would keep the player out for three or four weeks.
However, after the scan, it turned out that the goalkeeper had suffered a second-degree thigh tear, which prevented him from playing on the field for a total of up to six weeks, depending on his recovery.
“This is definitely a subject for discussion,” said manager Steve Cooper, quoted by Sports Witness.
“We have two League Cup games that Dean would not have played in any case because of the loan decision, so we always planned these games without him,” he added, referring to their League Cup match with United.
“We need to get out of the way this weekend and see where we will be after them.
“Dean will be out for four to five weeks, which is certainly a blow for all of us, especially for him, but such things happen, and we continue our work and will support Dean to get in shape as soon as possible. ”
Henderson played a crucial role in Forest’s hopes of survival this season, making a number of high-profile saves.
His performance against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the League Cup, making several key saves in regular time before impressing in the penalty shootout, was a huge factor in his team’s amazing cup win.
If Henderson misses the rest of January and February, as the worst-case forecast suggests, Forest will be without their best goalkeeper for seven matches.
According to Cooper, two matches against Manchester United would have already been missed due to disqualification.
But losing such a key player in five Premier League games will undoubtedly hurt Forest’s prospects.
In the middle of the season, Cooper’s team occupies a comfortable 13th place. But with things incredibly tense in the bottom half of the table, they must still be looking over their shoulder, being only five points away from the relegation zone.
