Long-term absentee Nicolo Savona has made significant progress toward returning to action for Nottingham Forest.
The full-back has been out of action since January after undergoing knee surgery. However, he has now returned to the training pitch ahead of Forest’s trip to Brentford this weekend.
Forest will continue to manage Savona’s recovery cautiously, considering the lengthy period he has spent on the sidelines. Nevertheless, once he is ready to return, he will give head coach Oliver Glasner another option in defence.
The club shared footage on Tuesday showing Savona running onto the pitch at the City Ground for a training session. Another clip captured his teammates applauding and patting him on the back as they formed a tunnel for him to run through. “Savo back on the grass,” Forest posted.
There could be another positive development for the Reds, as footage shared by a supporter on X appeared to show Neco Williams taking part in the training session as well. The Welsh full-back was forced off with an injury during Friday’s 1-1 draw against Ipswich Town.
Williams suffered the injury after landing awkwardly in the closing stages of the match at Portman Road. He appeared to be in considerable discomfort, with his right arm tucked inside his shirt as he made his way off the pitch.
However, the defender offered an encouraging update on Instagram following the game. He wrote: “A game of mixed emotions. Points on board to build on now. Ps I’m all good.”
Glasner had expressed concern about Williams’ condition during his post-match press conference, saying: “Neco’s in huge pain. He fell on his elbow. We have to do further assessments but it doesn’t look really good.”
Glasner had previously indicated that Savona might be able to return to the training pitch during or shortly after the most recent international break. However, the Italian defender has needed a little more time before taking this next step in his recovery.
Speaking ahead of the game against Aston Villa, Glasner explained the club’s cautious approach to Savona’s rehabilitation.
“We are now on the cautious side (with Savona) after he had a few setbacks or reactions in his knees. Now we are really progressing the rehab very slowly, because the worst thing for a player is if you feel you are getting closer and all of a sudden you have a setback. If that happens, you maybe start two or three levels below again.
“That’s why we are now really progressing slowly, but so far everything is on track. We don’t put pressure on him, it’s increasing the intensity of his individual rehab sessions and then having a look at how the knee reacts. So far, it’s all fine.”
Forest have two more fixtures scheduled before the next international break. They will travel to the capital to face Brentford on Saturday, with kick-off set for 3pm, before welcoming Manchester City to the City Ground a week later.
Glasner’s team currently sit 18th in the Premier League standings with six points. Their draw against Ipswich ended a run of three consecutive defeats, offering the Reds a small but welcome boost as they look to improve their position in the coming weeks.
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