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Chris Wood has been cleared to travel to New Zealand ahead of the All Whites’ friendlies against China this week, but will be assessed upon arrival before any decision on his involvement is made.
The Nottingham Forest striker suffered a thigh injury in their loss to Tottenham Hotspur last weekend, six minutes after coming on as a substitute in the second half of the match in London.
He was left with a haematoma in his left thigh after catching a stray boot from Clément Lenglet as he tried to run past the Spurs defender, who had headed the ball back towards his goalkeeper.
Wood has been closely monitored by the Forest and All Whites medical staffs over the past seven days and the fact that he’s been allowed to make the long trip home is a positive sign. He is expected to arrive on Monday afternoon.
Forest had a 2-1 loss to Newcastle United on Friday [Saturday NZ time] and before that match, coach Steve Cooper said Wood’s injury would have ruled him out, if he hadn’t already been ineligible to face his parent club.
Wood joined Forest on loan from Newcastle in January, but will make that move permanent in the off-season, after triggering an appearance-based clause in the deal.
Forest are the fifth English Premier League club Wood has played for, joining West Bromwich Albion, where he made his EPL debut in 2009; Leicester City, where he scored his first EPL goal in 2014; Burnley and Newcastle.
Rui Vieira/AP
Nottingham Forest’s Chris Wood watches the ball during the English Premier League soccer match between Nottingham Forest and Leeds United at City Ground stadium in Nottingham, England, Sunday, Feb. 5, 2023. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira)
This week’s matches against China at Mt Smart Stadium in Auckland on Thursday and Sky Stadium in Wellington on Sunday will present a rare chance for Kiwis to watch the 31-year-old on home soil.
He was forced off with an injury the last time he played at home, against Australia at Eden Park in Auckland in September, and before that he was only fit enough to be a substitute against Peru in an intercontinental World Cup qualifying playoff in Wellington in November 2017.
The last time Wood played in New Zealand unencumbered by injury was in September 2017, shortly after he joined Burnley, kicking off a run of six consecutive seasons where he has been an EPL player.
That match was an Oceania World Cup qualifying playoff against the Solomon Islands at North Harbour Stadium in Auckland, where he scored a hat-trick.
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