Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper says midfielder Orel Mangala has suffered a slight setback in his recovery from a hamstring injury.
The summer signing was forced off with less than an hour gone in the 1-1 draw at Everton last month. Although initially hoped it was due to “fatigue”, it then became clear a spell on the sidelines would be required and he has been out of action since.
Last weekend, Mangala posted a picture of himself in training with his teammates, captioning it “back”. But Cooper was giving little away over whether he could be in contention to be involved against Fulham on Friday night.
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“Orel did come back into training. But he’s had a bit of a setback,” the Reds head coach said.
“It’s nothing too major, but it’s just set him back a day or two. Apart from that, we are as we were.”
Forest are still without Moussa Niakhate (hamstring) and Omar Richards (hairline fracture of the leg), while newcomer Serge Aurier is still awaiting visa approval. Cooper could, however, be tempted to make changes to the side which lost 3-2 to Bournemouth last time out.
Defenders Willy Boly and Loic Bade had only just put pen to paper before the game against the Cherries, and will be eager to make their debuts. Tweaks could also be made in midfield and attack as the hosts look to get back to winning ways.
“That’s the ongoing role of a football manager, trying to find the right plan - inclusive of picking the right team to go and win the next game,” Cooper said. “We have good options now, with a lot of players to choose from and strength in depth. There’s the normal decision-making process that you have to go through.
“There’s the temptation of making changes. There’s the temptation of keeping going with certain things. And probably everything else in between those two things.”
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