Chris Wood injury update from New Zealand after scare on international duty | Football

Chris Wood suffered a hip injury while playing for New Zealand on Monday, but reports suggest the ‘initial prognosis is fairly positive’ for the Nottingham Forest striker.

The 33-year-old was playing for his country against New Caledonia in Auckland in a crucial World Cup qualifier.

The in-form Forest forward was forced out of the game 54 minutes in after landing awkwardly and clearly being in enough discomfort to be replaced.

The game was goalless at the time and New Zealand’s trip to the 2026 World Cup in question, but in their captain’s absence they fought to a 3-0 win to book their place in the tournament.

Wood said, via the New Zealand Herald: ‘Of course I wanted to stay on, do my part and lead this team to hopefully something great.

‘I wanted to be a part of it for the whole thing but football’s not meant to be sometimes.’

Fears over the severity of Wood’s injury were obviously sparked, with New Zealand not back in action until June but Nottingham Forest very keen to get their prolific striker back as soon as possible.

As he awaited results of a scan on Tuesday, Wood said: ‘It is what it is – I landed on it funny. We’ll just have to wait and see – there is no point presuming anything.’

However, the NZ Herald suggest that the problem is not serious, reporting with cautious optimism that: ‘the initial prognosis is fairly positive, with the hope he won’t be out of action for an extended period.’

Wood was able to celebrate with his teammates on the pitch after the final whistle, but whether he is available for Forest’s next game is a serious doubt.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s side go to Brighton in the FA Cup on Saturday before a home Premier League clash against Manchester United next Tuesday.

Wood’s recovery will not be aided by the extremely long flight back to England from his home country, which he begins on Tuesday night.

His return will be vital for Nottingham Forest as he has been in stunning goal-scoring form this season, netting 18 times in 29 Premier League outings.

Only Mohamed Salah, Erling Haaland and Alexander Isak have scored more this season, with Wood’s exploits helping Forest into third place with only nine games remaining.

Wood also took his international tally to 44 with a hat-trick as New Zealand thrashed Fiji 7-0 last week, his fourth hat-trick for his country.

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