Joao Carvalho has not returned to training with Nottingham Forest just yet - but Sabri Lamouchi expects the talismanic former Benfica man to get back involved next week.
The 15m euro record signing has made a quicker than expected recovery from an ankle injury sustained in the first friendly of the summer, against Alfreton.
But he has not been involved in the preparations for the visit of West Brom for the Championship opener tomorrow.
Lamouchi says he is looking forward to working with Carvalho - and with the rest of his squad.
“Joao will start training next week. I am so happy to work with him,” he said.
“We have not had one single session together previously. I want to start to enjoy working with all of my players.”
In the absence of Carvalho another Portuguese player, Tiago Silva, has impressed in pre-season.
Silva, who joined from Feirense in the summer, is not quite the same kind of player as Carvalho, but does share his creativity and flair on the ball.
“Tiago has looked good in pre-season. But I am sure he can do better. He just needs time; he needs to play with more confidence,” said Lamouchi.
“Because it is a different style of football here. But he has a lot of quality.”
Silva, 26, does have a good chance of starting against the Baggies tomorrow, with the Reds likely to start with a midfield trio of Ben Watson, Alfa Semedo and Silva, within the 4-3-3 formation that has quickly become Lamouchi’s trademark.
