Dean Henderson is set to be finally ruled out of Nottingham Forest’s season in another injury blow for Steve Cooper, as scrutiny starts to grow on Keylor Navas.
Henderson, the Manchester United loanee, is understood to have sustained another setback in his recovery from a thigh injury and will miss the final four matches of Forest’s survival mission.
The England goalkeeper has not played since the 2-0 victory over Leicester on January 14 and was hopeful of making his return before the end of the campaign.
Henderson travelled with the Forest squad for Saturday’s trip to Brentford yet it is believed that he will now be unavailable to play again this season.
Navas is set to remain as Forest’s No. 1 for the crucial run-in, with the Paris St-Germain loanee’s experience of English football proving a mixed bag.
Though Navas has performed brilliantly in some games, which included an outrageous save against Brighton last Wednesday, he has also appeared suspect at times.
It could be argued that the Costa Rican international was at fault for both of Brentford’s late goals on Saturday, which leave Forest deep in relegation trouble.
A three-time Champions League winner, during a glittering career, Navas is expected to stay in goal for the potentially pivotal home game against Southampton a week on Monday.
When asked if Navas could have done better for Brentford’s goals, Cooper replied: “I just think that now is not the time to speak about anyone. It’s about real togetherness and about sticking together.”
Forest are struggling with a number of injuries, with £16 million signing Danilo set to undergo a scan on the hamstring issue which forced him off late in the Brentford defeat.
Cooper is already without Scott McKenna, Chris Wood, Neco Williams, Willy Boly and Omar Richards for the remainder of the season.
Forest owner Marinakis furious at latest abysmal defeat
By John Percy at the Gtech Community Stadium
If Nottingham Forest’s tour of the Premier League is going to last for just one season, the post-mortem from Steve Cooper will focus entirely on their poor away form.
Forest have secured 24 of their 30 points at home and this was a 13th defeat of the campaign away from the City Ground, leaving the club deep in relegation trouble.
Josh DaSilva’s contentious injury-time winner sentenced Cooper to another chastening experience in the capital and keeps Brentford’s hopes of European qualification faintly flickering.
Forest remain in danger of dropping into the Championship and they are just a point above the relegation zone, ahead of a monumental showdown at home to Southampton a week on Monday.
With away results so abysmal, the pressure is always on Forest to pick up victories in front of their own supporters.
This felt like another self-inflicted defeat, with late controversy, and Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis was understood to be furious.
Though Marinakis is highly unlikely to dismiss at Cooper at such a critical stage of the season, he was seething with the head coach’s substitutions and his management of the squad.
Brentford’s winner was confirmed after a Var review, with substitute Yoann Wissa appearing to be in offside position, and came at a time when Forest had only ten men on the pitch, with goalscorer Danilo off the field and Cooper having used of all his permitted slots of substitutions.
Forest’s goalkeeper, the Paris St Germain loanee Keylor Navas, also appeared to be at fault for both goals as he was twice caught out at the near post.
While Cooper has retained the backing of most fans throughout this turbulent campaign, he came under scrutiny here from Marinakis for his second-half substitutions.
He said: “It’s a tough one to take and it’s all about us sticking together now.
“I’ve seen enough every day in terms of the application and quality. We have shown that in all three games this week and have to keep going.
“There is no lack of togetherness, fight or will. I just hope they got the Var decision right. I’m wondering which part was offside.
“I hope they’ve not assumed and made a judgement call. You need those decisions to be based on fact. There is so much at stake at this stage of the season and you have to be sure.”
While Forest are facing a nervy end to the campaign, Thomas Frank continues to produce near miracles in west London.
Brentford have only lost twice at home in the league this season and though they may be relying on teams above them to slip up, the fact they are still in with a chance of Europe underlines the outstanding job Frank has performed.
His team had performed poorly until late in the game, but his positive five substitutions proved pivotal. From the moment Toney bent in the equaliser nine minutes from time, Forest’s frailties were then exposed.
The England forward had been quiet for much of the afternoon but is now on 20 goals and his free-kick sparked this late turnaround with DaSilva’s winner coming four minutes into added time.
Brentford are three points behind seventh-placed Liverpool and Frank is daring to dream.
He said: “I like that landmark [of reaching 50 points] more than the 40 points everyone talks about. I’m not used to that and we want more. We will see if we can get that.
“It’s not the best performance of the season, definitely not. The last two performances have not been in our top 5 or top 10 this season but they gave us two wins. Now we get two wins and the feeling is so much better.”
Danilo, the £16 million January signing from Palmeiras, had given Forest the breakthrough in first half injury time when he converted from close range on his 22nd birthday.
