Nottingham Forest midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate will be ruled out for at least the next two months after undergoing surgery.
The 32-year-old suffered a torn hamstring during Senegal’s opening group game of the World Cup last month. A second half collision with the Netherlands’ Frenkie de Jong left him needing treatment on the pitch before being stretchered off in Qatar.
Scans then determined the extent of the injury, and Kouyate, who was in good form prior to the winter break, has since had an operation. It could be March before he is back in action for the Reds, meaning he will miss a crucial part of the season as they battle for Premier League survival.
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“That’s going to rule him out now for 10 to 12 weeks. It’s a challenge for him that he’s got to embrace and give his best to,” head coach Steve Cooper told NottinghamshireLive after his team’s 2-1 friendly victory over Valencia.
“We’ll miss him, for sure - on the pitch and, equally, off the pitch, because of the character and the personality that he is. It’s slightly unfortunate about how it all evolved with the injury, but we don’t really want to get into that. It’s happened now, so we all have to commit - including Cheik - to get him back as quickly as possible.”
Forest were frustrated with the Senegal FA over the treatment of Kouyate. The club were unhappy with what they considered to be a poor diagnosis of the injury, as well as the lack of care for their player.
After the incident in Senegal’s 2-0 defeat, it was initially suggested Kouyate had twisted his ankle. Manager Aliou Cisse later said he “hoped” the midfielder would recover in time to face hosts Qatar, in his team’s second group clash.
Kouyate joins Moussa Niakhate (hamstring), Omar Richards (hairline fracture of the leg) and Giulian Biancone (ACL) on the sidelines. Morgan Gibbs-White was forced off in Spain after picking up a knock, but it is hoped he will be fit for next week’s Carabao Cup tie at Blackburn Rovers. Serge Aurier and Jack Colback were not involved at the Mestalla Stadium, also due to knocks, as Forest did not want to take any risks ahead of the season’s restart.
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