Cooper confirms Nottm Forest newbie has not suffered ‘serious injury’ and return is ‘not far away’
Head coach Steve Cooper has confirmed that Nottingham Forest defender Nuno Tavares’ injury is not as severe as first feared.
The full-back, a summer signing from Premier League rivals Arsenal, limped out of last weekend’s loss at Manchester City with a groin injury and Cooper was worried about the seriousness of the injury.
However, scans have shown it to be a minor issue and Tavares is already not far away from fitness ahead of Sunday’s trip to face Brentford.
Cooper said: “Nuno Tavares came off in the Man City game, but fortunately it’s not what we thought it was, it’s not a serious injury so that is good.
“He is not far away. Apart from that we are OK.”
Brazilian pair Danilo and Felipe are still missing with their respective hamstring and knee issues.
“Danilo is just recovering from a medium-term length injury, he is back on the grass but nowhere near being with the team,” Cooper added.
“But he is definitely making progress.
“Felipe is an ongoing situation with his knee, one we are trying to manage carefully and trying to support him the best way possible to give the best chance of being involved. He missed last week, it flared up a little bit.”
Forest have enjoyed a promising start to the season, having already visited Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea and Manchester City.
But Cooper says this match will be just as tough.
“As always against Brentford it will be a very challenging game, they test you in a number of ways and that is something we have to be ready for,” he said.
“But we want to put our stamp on the game, especially at home. They have a lot of players that have been there for a while, so they have that connection. We are aware of what they are and their strengths.
“We don’t look at it like that, we are focused on ourselves. Premier League squads are full of really good players.”
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