When Nottingham Forest plays Luton Town in the Premier League this weekend, Serge Aurier might not be available. Before the international break, the defender injured his ankle during the match against Crystal Palace.
The 30-year-old might now miss this weekend’s important game at the City Ground, according to The Athletic. This week’s injury to Argentina’s Gonzalo Montiel raises the possibility of a significant issue.
Aurier signed for Forest on a free transfer in 2022. He joined shortly after the summer transfer window had closed and he’s one of the squad members considered part of the leadership group in Steve Cooper’s squad.
Aurier could miss weekend game
This isn’t good news and it will be intriguing to see what Cooper says in his press conference ahead of the game. Aurier was withdrawn at half-time during the 0-0 draw with Palace before the break.
The defender has been extremely important this season. He’s captained the side on some occasions; with Joe Worrall and Ryan Yates both experiencing spells out of the reckoning.
Forest star Aurier is a player with an abundance of experience. He’s played in the Champions League for Tottenham, PSG and Villarreal, with the Forest man helping Spurs reach the final back in 2019.
Playing under Jose Mourinho at Tottenham, Aurier was praised. He called him ‘special’ and used him as a regular starter within his Spurs ranks.
Forest could be in crisis if Aurier is out
Although the squad does have options now, it wouldn’t be ideal if both Aurier and Montiel were ruled out this weekend. That would likely mean Neco Williams playing and he’s not even been in the squad recently.
It will still be a question of the next man up for the Reds, as Cooper often says. Williams just played two respectable games for Wales, so he has every reason to be confident going into the weekend.
But Forest will be crossing her fingers for Aurier. He is a crucial element of the team, and hopefully he will be able to play against Luton on Saturday.
