Nottingham Forest manager Aitor Karanka has provided a positive fitness update on defender Danny Fox ahead of Saturday’s clash with Queens Park Rangers.
The veteran sat in the stands with the away fans for Forest’s goalless draw with Derby County on Monday night, but Karanka is hopeful he will be on the pitch at the weekend.
“I don’t know for certain yet, because it was he who did not feel confident to play, on Sunday,” he told the Nottingham Post. “But I hope he can recover as soon as possible.
“Because, not just as a player, but also as a character, he is important on the pitch. I would have preferred to have him on the pitch. I hope he will be back for next weekend, because he was close. It was a last minute thing that he did not feel 100 percent to face Derby.”
OPINION
This is a big boost for Forest. They have endured something of a defensive crisis in recent weeks, with Dawson out alongside Fox, and those two players have been a big loss for Karanka. The experienced duo are such important players for the club and Forest fans will be delighted to potentially have one of them back, at least, against QPR on Saturday. Fox has been a bit of a journeyman in his career, but he appears to have found a home at the City Ground and he’s flourished in recent years. Having him back in the team would be a huge boost against QPR, and you’d fancy Forest to win that one with him back in the side. Karanka’s team have made a decent start to the season and much of that has to do with their defence, which has been fairly solid thus far this campaign. Fox has been a big part of that, and his recovery should do wonders for the team moving forward.