Morgan Gibbs-White reveals horror harm and singles out Nottingham Forest teammate
WARNING, GRAPHIC IMAGE: Morgan Gibbs-White has issued an update following his awful collision with Robert Sanchez
Gibbs-White is helped off the pitch(Image: Justin Setterfield, Getty Images)
Morgan Gibbs-White turned to social media to thank supporters after being flooded with messages of support following his horrific head injury at Chelsea.
The Nottingham Forest midfielder posted a picture of himself with stitches across his forehead, clearly showing the extent of the nasty gash. The wound makes him as a major doubt for Thursday’s Europa League semi-final second leg with Aston Villa.
Posting on Instagram, Gibbs-White said: “Thanks for the messages of support, what a win, well done Taiwo Awoniyi.”
Forest pulled six points clear of the Premier League drop zone with a stunning 3-1 triumph over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. They now boast a 10-match unbeaten streak across all competitions.
Forward Awoniyi netted either side of an Igor Jesus spot-kick to clinch all three points. But Forest were dealt a blow when they lost influential player Gibbs-White to a head knock in the second period, just 20 minutes after entering as a substitute.
Forest boss Vitor Pereira said: “I’m waiting. Gibbs-White has a deep cut but he is a fighter and has a strong mentality. I hope our medical department can do magic to put him in condition (to play against Villa). We will see.”
“I said to him: ‘You don’t need to head the ball just to play’. He is speaking normally, he remembers everything. The only thing is the pain – we will see.”
Forest had already seen defender Zach Abbott substituted following a head injury before Gibbs-White was forced off. Abbott had also been involved in a clash of heads. Pereira added: “I spoke with Zach in the dressing room. I think he is OK.”
Pereira had made eight changes to his starting XI against the Blues. Several key players, including Gibbs-White, were demoted to the bench as the Portuguese boss prepared for Thursday’s second leg, with Forest enjoying a 1-0 lead.
“I know very well my players. I work with them every day. I did the same when we went to Midtjylland and they performed very well,” said Pereira.
“For me, I tried to balance the energy of the team. We have some injuries. I decided to give 45 minutes (to some), because 45 minutes we can recover in three days to be fit for the game against Aston Villa.
“I said to my players, I can change them but I cannot change the spirit of this team. They are playing with confidence, unity and organisation – and ambition to win the game.
“The only thing I am sad about is the injury to Morgan Gibbs-White. I said we can change the players but the spirit will be there, and we will compete for the three points.”
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