Morgan Gibbs-White has thanked supporters on social media after receiving an outpouring of goodwill messages after suffering a head injury at Chelsea. The Nottingham Forest midfielder posted an image of himself with stitches on his forehead, but the severity of the injury was clear. The injury leaves his availability for Thursday’s Europa League semi-final second leg against Aston Villa in doubt.
Gibbs-White wrote on Instagram: “Thank you for all the messages of support. What a win. Well done Taiwo Awoniyi.” Forest moved six points above the Premier League drop zone with an emphatic 3-1 victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. They currently have a 10-game unbeaten record in all competitions. Forward Awonih converted Igor Jesus’ spot-kick on either side to secure the three points. Forest’s key player Gibbs-White was forced to withdraw with a head injury in the second half, just 20 minutes after coming on from the bench.
Forest manager Vitor Pereira said: “We’re waiting. Gibbs-White has a deep injury, but he’s a fighter and has strong mental strength. I hope our medical team can work their magic and get him fit (for the Villa game). We’ll see.”
“I told him, ‘You don’t have to head the ball just to play.’ He’s talking normally and remembers everything. The only thing is the pain. We’ll see.”
The Forest manager had already seen defender Zac Abbott replaced in concussion protocol before Gibbs-White was sent off. Abbott was also involved in a head collision. “I talked to Zach in the locker room and I think he’s going to be OK,” Pereira said.
Pereira made eight changes to his starting lineup against the Blues. With Forest holding a 1-0 lead, several key players, including Gibbs-White, were relegated to the bench as the Portuguese coach looks ahead to Thursday’s second leg.
“I know the players well, I work with them every day. We did the same thing when we went to Midtjylland and they performed very well,” Pereira said.
“For me, I tried to balance the energy of the team. We have some injuries. I decided to give (some players) 45 minutes, because with 45 minutes they can recover within three days for the game against Aston Villa.”
“I told the players that you can change the players, but you can’t change the spirit of this team. They are playing with confidence, cohesion, organization and ambition to win games.”
Pereira added: “The only sad thing is the injury to Morgan Gibbs-White. I said we could change players, but the spirit is there and we will fight for the three points.”
“We want to keep our future in our hands and to do that we have to win games. Today the players once again proved their spirit, quality and organization. I am very happy for the players and the supporters.”
