Chris Wood Faces Lifelong Knee Injury While Aiming for Europa League Glory

Nottingham Forest striker Chris Wood reveals that he must manage his knee injury for the rest of his life. The New Zealand international has made his return after a six-month absence and is set to feature in Forest's Europa League quarter-final second leg against Porto. Forest will host the Portuguese league leaders on Thursday following a 1-1 draw in Portugal last week, where Wood made his comeback at Estadio do Dragao. It marked his first appearance since last October after undergoing knee surgery in December. Wood acknowledges that his knee will never fully recover, stating, "It's a knee injury, it's going to take years of managing throughout my whole career and when I'm playing with kids, playing golf or doing whatever I do after football." The 34-year-old understands the mental challenges that accompany such an injury, noting, "A knee injury is always horrible, you never know what could happen in the future or how you are going to come back from it." As he aims to help Forest advance to the last four of the Europa League, where they could face Aston Villa or Bologna, Wood is also focused on securing a spot for the World Cup with New Zealand. The All Whites will face Iran, Egypt, and Belgium in Group G this summer. He mentioned that his injury was complex, stating, "It wasn't a straightforward injury, we tried a few different avenues to get it right before having to go down the surgery route." In team news, midfielder Elliot Anderson is a doubt for the match against Porto after missing training on Wednesday due to personal issues, as confirmed by boss Vitor Pereira.

Source: BBC Sport - 2026-04-15