Nottingham Forest are beginning to see some of their sidelined midfielders edge closer to comebacks, in an injury boost for boss Chris Hughton.
The Reds’ options have been hit hard in the centre of the pitch, with Ryan Yates the latest to add his name to the list when he limped off against Middlesbrough last week.
The 23-year-old, along with Harry Arter (calf) and Jack Colback (ankle), have been ruled out of Saturday’s clash with Barnsley.
But Hughton hopes Yates could potentially return for the trip to Wycombe Wanderers in a week’s time, while his two teammates - who have been absent for longer - are also making progress.
“It’s a lower calf injury,” the Forest manager said of Yates. “At the moment, he’s recovered really well.
“If we didn’t have good medical people here and we relied on the lad himself, he would probably say he’s almost fit to play just after Saturday!
“He’s recovering really well from it, but there are time constraints which go with it.
“It’s looking good. He’ll certainly miss the next couple of games, then we’ll see after that.
“Jack Colback did his first bit of training with the team on Thursday morning, which was good.
“It would have been earlier in the week but with the conditions we had, we had to adjust where we trained for the first couple of days.
“It’s certainly good to have him back.
“We’re looking at Harry Arter starting training with the team, or an introduction back to the team, on Monday.”
New signing Filip Krovinovic, who signed on loan from Benfica last week, is in line to make his debut at the City Ground.
It is likely he will take up the number 10 role, with Cafu dropping into the deeper midfield position, alongside Samba Sow.
The latter was rested in the FA Cup thumping at Swansea City as Hughton opted to play defender Loic Mbe Soh and Fouad Bachirou in midfield.
That was only Bachirou’s second appearance in the Garibaldi after his own injury struggles, while Luke Freeman also made his return following a hernia operation.
“It’s been particularly difficult because Ryan Yates has been the most consistent in regards to being available all season,” Hughton said of his selection dilemma.
“This is the first injury he’s picked up all season. In general, he’s not one who picks up injuries.
“We’ve had Cafu able to drop back into that position, but it will be good to get a few back.
“With Bachirou back as well, that’s a big plus for us.
“Both Bachirou and Luke Freeman came through it okay last week, with no problems with the injuries they had, which is the most important thing.
“Really it’s just a question now of getting them up to speed. You can do that by their participation in the last game, against Swansea. But at this moment, it’s going to be very much getting them up to speed in training, and hopefully getting them available for selection.”
Forest will also be without left-back Yuri Ribeiro as he serves a three-match suspension for a red card against Boro.
Hughton’s side go into Saturday’s clash looking to get back to winning ways after successive defeats in the league and cup.
Having struggled for goals this term, the club still hope to find a solution with further business in the transfer market.
But the manager believes the addition of Krovinovic can also help.
“He’s settled in really well. It helps that he’s a genuinely nice lad who really wants to play and do well,” he said.
“He’s got a very good personality and is very enthusiastic as well.
“We just hope we can get out of him what he’s shown in training so far.
“It’s helped to have time on the training ground this week. The weather hasn’t been the best, so we’ve had to adapt where we’ve trained on Monday and Tuesday.
“The volume of what we’ve been able to get through helps when you’ve got a new player.
“But when you’ve got someone who is quite adaptable, which he is, I can’t imagine it would take him too long to settle in anywhere.
“He has a bit of flexibility in where he can play. He has played in the wide areas as well.
“He’s a different type of player in the wide areas, but for me, he’s better suited in a central position - and in an advanced central position.
“He has played in a two in midfield, but we see him very much in that number 10 role off the front, or giving us an attacking option in a three.
“He’s got a good level of fitness, so he’s very much in contention for Saturday.”
