Source: Radio New Zealand
Chris Wood of New Zealand. PHOTOSPORT
All Whites captain Chris Wood’s spell on the sideline will continue for an indefinite period after undergoing surgery.
The Nottingham Forest striker hasn’t played since mid-October and the recuperation from a knee injury has been unsuccessful, forcing the 34-year-old to have an operation in a bid to resolve the issue.
It continues a forgettable season for Wood, who played only nine games before suffering the injury against Chelsea on 18 October.
Last season he scored a club-record 20 goals for Forest, the fourth-most across the entire English Premier League for 2024-25, helping them qualify for European competition.
The nature of Wood’s injury is unclear, nor when he underwent surgery. He has been seen wearing a knee brace while watching recent Forest matches.
Wood provided an update from his hospital bed on Instagram.
“The Christmas I didn’t expect, you can never know what football throws at you,” Wood wrote.
“From the highs of last season to now the battles and the lows personally of this season. You have to be ready for anything.
“Truly gutting and frustrating that I’ll be on the sideline for another period of time. It’s what’s needed to come back stronger and better to help my teammates do the job needed in the Premier League and in Europe.”
Forest manager Sean Dyche said the operation had gone well but, couldn’t suggest a potential return date.
“He has had an operation, at the end of a period of trying to settle it down,” Dyche said.
“It is unfortunate. We had a lot of specialist opinion to try to get him through naturally. But they have decided it is time to go and do it.
“It is a version of a cartilage op. It certainly won’t be days, obviously. We are hoping it will be weeks. We will have to wait and see how it settles. The signs were good from the surgical point of view.
“I don’t like throwing timescales about because of potential disruption on the way back to fitness. We are hoping it is a smooth pathway, but sometimes it isn’t. We will just have to wait and see.”
Chris Wood of New Zealand applauds after their 4-0 win over Malaysia. Andrew Cornaga/www.photosport.nz
The All Whites’ next fixtures are two home games in late March as they prepare for the FIFA World Cup in June.
Without Wood’s finishing touches, Forest have struggled this season, winning five of 18 games.
Their 2-1 loss to Manchester City on Sunday morning leaves them 17th, just five league points above the relegation zone.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
