Morgan Gibbs-White took to social media to express his gratitude to fans after being inundated with well-wishes following his shocking head injury at Chelsea. The Nottingham Forest midfielder shared a photo of himself sporting stitches on his forehead, with the severity of the wound plain to see.
Injury Casts Doubt on Europa League Clash
The injury makes him a doubt for Thursday's Europa League semi-final second leg against Aston Villa. Taking to Instagram, Gibbs-White wrote: "Thanks for the messages of support, what a win, well done Taiwo Awoniyi."
Forest moved six points clear of the Premier League relegation zone with an impressive 3-1 victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. They are now on a 10-match unbeaten run across all competitions ahead.
Striker Awoniyi grabbed goals either side of an Igor Jesus penalty to seal the three points. Forest lost key player Gibbs-White to a head injury in the second half, just 20 minutes after coming off the bench.
Manager Vitor Pereira's Reaction
Forest manager Vitor Pereira said: "I'm waiting. Gibbs-White has a deep cut but he is a fighter and has a strong mentality. I hope our medical department can do magic to put him in condition (to play against Villa). We will see."
"I said to him: 'You don't need to head the ball just to play'. He is speaking normally, he remembers everything. The only thing is the pain - we will see."
Forest had already seen defender Zach Abbott withdrawn due to a concussion substitution before Gibbs-White departed. Abbott, too, had been caught up in a collision of heads. Pereira said: "I spoke with Zach in the dressing room. I think he is OK."
Team Rotation and Spirit
Pereira had made eight alterations to his starting XI against the Blues. Several key figures, including Gibbs-White, were relegated to the bench as the Portuguese manager looked ahead to Thursday's second leg, with Forest holding a 1-0 advantage.
"I know very well my players. I work with them every day. I did the same when we went to Midtjylland and they performed very well," said Pereira.
"For me, I tried to balance the energy of the team. We have some injuries. I decided to give 45 minutes (to some), because 45 minutes we can recover in three days to be fit for the game against Aston Villa.
"I said to my players, I can change them but I cannot change the spirit of this team. They are playing with confidence, unity and organisation - and ambition to win the game."
Pereira added: "The only thing I am sad about is the injury to Morgan Gibbs-White. I said we can change the players but the spirit will be there, and we will compete 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 proved again the spirit, the quality and the organisation. I am very happy for my players and the supporters."
