Nottingham Forest and Senegal midfielder Cheikhou Kouyaté may have to hope that his country progress from the group stage at the World Cup if the Garibaldi midfielder wants to play again at this tournament, according to injury expert Ben Dinnery.
The 32-year-old was stretchered off in the Lions of Teranga’s World Cup opener against the Netherlands.
What’s the latest on Kouyaté?
After Senegal’s 2-0 opening game defeat, head coach Aliou Cissé confirmed that Kouyaté had suffered a twisted ankle injury, and is due to undergo further checks.
However, since that update, it has been reported that the midfielder suffered a thigh injury, with Sport News Africa (via The Nottingham Post) reporting that the Forest man is expected to miss the 2021 AFCON champions’ remaining group stage fixtures.
This will not only come as a worry to Cissé but also to Forest manager Steve Cooper, who will be sweating on the former West Ham United midfielder’s fitness ahead of the club’s return to competitive action when they travel to Blackburn Rovers in the Carabao Cup on the 21st December.
And Dinnery believes that it is highly likely Kouyaté will miss the next two games for Senegal and will have to rely on his teammates to have a chance of any further participation in Qatar.
What has Dinnery said about Kouyaté?
Dinnery told GIVEMESPORT: “Those fixtures are coming thick and fast and whenever anybody's getting stretchered off in obvious discomfort, it's never great.
“What you would say is, at this stage, Senegal would need to progress out the group phase for Cheikhou Kouyaté to have any hope of featuring again at this tournament.
“I think it's highly likely that he will miss those next two games.
“And obviously, it'll come down to results on whether his tournament in Qatar is actually over.”
What next for Senegal and Nottingham Forest?
From a Senegal point of view, it would seem likely that Kouyaté’s replacement will be that of Marseille midfielder Pape Gueye, who replaced the Forest man in Monday’s clash with the Netherlands.
In terms of the Nottingham Forest point of view, Cooper will be praying that the £42k-per-week earner's injury will have cleared up by the time he returns to the Premier League club for training, with the midfielder becoming a regular for the East Midlands side this season, making 13 appearances and scoring one goal, according to Transfermarkt.
News in the coming days will be eagerly anticipated by both Forest and Senegal followers, and both Cissé and Cooper will be hoping that any updates will come as a boost rather than a blow to Kouyaté’s fitness hopes.