Nottingham Forest striker Chris Wood has revealed he will need to manage a persistent knee injury throughout his career and beyond, describing it as a lifelong challenge. The 34-year-old New Zealand international made his return last week after six months sidelined, starting in Forest's 1-1 Europa League quarter-final first leg draw against Porto.
Wood underwent surgery in December following an initial attempt at non-surgical recovery, admitting the injury will never fully heal. "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," Wood explained. "It's going be there. I'd say it's always got to be in your back of mind that I have to keep myself in top shape ready to go."
"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. So mentally, that's one of the tough things to deal with."
The forward's return comes at a crucial time for Forest, who host Porto in Thursday's decisive second leg with a semi-final spot against either Aston Villa or Bologna at stake. Wood's availability also boosts Forest's Premier League survival bid and enhances his chances of featuring for New Zealand in this summer's World Cup, where the All Whites face Iran, Egypt, and Belgium in Group G.
Wood acknowledged the psychological toll of his rehabilitation, saying: "I had confidence I was always going to come back. I got very close to returning pre-surgery and it just didn't happen. That's just unfortunate." He described the injury as "not straightforward," with multiple treatment approaches attempted before surgery became necessary.
Meanwhile, Forest manager Vitor Pereira confirmed midfielder Elliot Anderson missed Wednesday's training session due to personal issues, casting doubt on his availability for the Porto clash. "Today, he was not able to train," Pereira stated. "He has personal problems and we have to respect [them]. We will see [about tomorrow], we need to wait."