Nottingham Forest vs Everton: Steve Cooper reveals key midfield doubt ahead of Premier League clash

Nottingham Forest manager has one major doubt for the visit of Everton this weekend but Steve Cooper boasts a mostly fully fit squad.

Forest were originally behind Everton in the table before the 10-point deduction but now Everton have a mountain to climb as they sit nine points and four places behind their weekend opponents.

A key doubt for the game is midfielder Ibrahim Sangare who has started eight games so far since arriving from PSV Eindhoven in the summer for £30m. However, he missed out last weekend due to an illness he picked up while on international duty with the Ivory Coast.

As a result, he is certainly a doubt according to Cooper: “Ibrahim has just joined back in training. He had a really bad virus which meant he missed the game last week,” Cooper said.

“It has knocked him, to be fair. It is going to take a little bit of time to recover and get back to full health. We are glad he is back with us and back out on the grass, albeit not in full training. Apart from that, we are as we were.”

Another huge loss for Cooper is Taiwo Awoniyi, their top scorer, who had scored four times and provided two assists in 10 games before suffering a groin injury in the 3-2 defeat to Brighton last time out.

Everton too have injuries to contend with, in similar positions. Midfielder Amadou Onana is unlikely to be ready for the weekend's game after Sean Dyche confirmed he will struggle to be fit after he missed out against Manchester United last weekend.

Furthermore, striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin has been struggling with fitness issues once again, as Dyche confirmed it is up in the air whether he will be available. But, fortunately for Everton, summer signing Beto is ready to return which is perfect timing given the news around Calvert-Lewin.