Vitor Pereira has provided an update on Morgan Gibbs-White ahead of Nottingham Forest's trip to Aston Villa. The midfielder suffered a deep cut to his head after colliding with Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez on Monday.
Protective Mask Made
Pereira revealed that Gibbs-White has had a protective mask made in case he is able to play. A late call will be made on his availability, with the Forest boss explaining that everything possible will be done to help the England midfielder feature at Villa Park on Thursday.
“He is in pain but we will see tomorrow if he is able to play,” Pereira said. “A decision between the player, the medical department and myself will decide his involvement but that hasn’t happened yet.”
Pereira's Hopes
“I honestly hope he can play and he can help us tomorrow. But if not we’ll have someone else in there who will try to be the best player on the pitch,” he added. “We’re waiting for training to decide if it’s worth the risk but one day can make the difference. We will see.”
Pereira emphasized that if Gibbs-White cannot play, the team will still be ready. “If Morgan cannot play we will still start with 11 and we’ll be ready for this match. I think yesterday he went to have a mask made in case he can play.”
