FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Premier League - Nottingham Forest v Southampton - The City Ground, Nottingham, Britain - January 19, 2025 Nottingham Forest's Callum Hudson-Odoi celebrates scoring their second goal Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Boyers/File Photo
(Reuters) - Nottingham Forest winger Callum Hudson-Odoi is a doubt for this weekend's Premier League visit to Bournemouth with a groin issue, manager Nuno Espirito Santo told reporters on Thursday.
England international Hudson-Odoi was forced to leave the field in the first half after scoring against Southampton on Sunday, with third-placed Forest winning 3-2 to extend their unbeaten run in the league to eight matches.
"He felt his groin, it was very tight and he was in a lot of pain. He has been out for a couple of days and we will have to assess and see whether he is available or not," Espirito Santo said ahead of Saturday's match.
Hudson-Odoi, who scored eight league goals last season, has struck three times in the current campaign while New Zealand forward Chris Wood is Forest's leading scorer with 14 league goals.
Forest are this season's surprise package and sit six points below leaders Liverpool, who have played one game fewer.
"I think things are going well but I cannot give much further detail on that," Espirito Santo said when asked about talks for a possible new deal for Wood, who is four goals behind the league's top scorer Mohamed Salah.
The Portuguese coach said the bond between his players was behind the club's excellent performance this season, after they finished 17th in the previous campaign, avoiding relegation by six points.
"Nobody expected us, or predicted this situation. But it is due to the bond. They help each other not only in training sessions but during the matches," Espirito Santo said.
"The big challenge ahead of us is to sustain this level of performance."
(Reporting by Chiranjit Ojha in Bengaluru; Editing by Toby Davis)
