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Early Nottingham Forest team news v Leeds United: Trio ruled out
Leeds United will host newly-promoted Nottingham Forest on Monday evening and the Reds will be without some key players already.
Steve Cooper’s side have endured an indifferent start to life back in the top flight after more than two decades away despite making an eye-watering 21 signings over the summer transfer window to completely revolutionise their squad.
But thee of those new recruits have already been ruled out of Monday’s visit to Yorkshire and it could cause Cooper some problems with two of them regulars in his Forest side.
Moussa Niakhate has been a rock at the back for Forest so far this season but he now faces up to two months on the treatment table as does central midfielder engine Orel Mangala, as per the Yorkshire Evening Post.
Omar Richards is also still out injured at left wing-back although the late summer purchase of Renan Lodi has that position covered and then some.
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With the amount of business done by Nottingham Forest this summer, it would not come as a surprise if there were seven or eight alternative options in each position now.
Richards’ loss won’t be felt enormously now that Lodi has arrived from Atletico Madrid and Cheick Kouyate has already come in for Mangala against Bournemouth and scored.
Niakhate will be the biggest miss of the three but even he has enough behind him to not be as noticeable as he could be when absent.
Jesse Marsch has to set his side up to compound the Reds’ misery after they saw a 2-0 lead evaporate at home to the struggling Cherries last weekend.
That fragility is something that needs to be exposed and if they can start fast, it could turn ugly fats for Cooper’s newly-promoted Forest.
The likes of Jack Harrison and Brenden Aaronson will be licking their lips at that prospect and maybe even new signing Wilfried Gnonto will have the debut to remember.
In other Leeds United news, scouts have been sent from Thorp Arch to Scotland to watch one of Aberdeen’s brightest starlets strut his stuff.