Chris Wood's Knee Injury: Management and Endurance
Chris Wood knows the truth about his knee. It is not a story of full recovery, only of management and endurance.
The Nottingham Forest striker has just come back from six months out, a long road that included knee surgery in December and long, lonely hours of rehabilitation. Now, at 34, he accepts that this is not an injury he will ever completely leave behind.
"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 New Zealand international said. "It's going be there."
There was no easing back into the spotlight. Wood’s first appearance since October came in a Europa League quarter-final, starting at the Estadio do Dragao in last week’s 1-1 draw with Porto. On Thursday night, Forest host the Portuguese league leaders at the City Ground with a semi-final place on the line and Wood again in contention to lead the line.
High Stakes
The stakes are huge. Win, and Forest move into the last four of a major European competition, where Aston Villa or Bologna await. Lose, and the focus snaps back to the grind of a Premier League survival fight. For Wood, both paths run alongside another ambition: a World Cup place with New Zealand, who face Iran, Egypt and Belgium in Group G this summer.
That is why he talks about his knee the way he does – not as a passing concern, but as a permanent companion.
"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," he admitted. "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. But 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."
The route back was anything but simple. Forest and Wood tried to avoid the operating table, exploring different ways to nurse the joint through.
"It wasn't a straightforward injury, we tried a few different avenues to get it right before having to go down the surgery route," he said. "It didn't work out the way we wanted to. At least we got it now with a goal to come back to, and luckily I have been able to come back with a decent amount of time [before the World Cup], so hopefully I'll be in the running."
His return comes after a curious spell at club level. Wood did not play under former manager Sean Dyche during Dyche’s 114 days in charge at Forest, his season stalled by the knee problem and then reset by the change in the dugout. Now, under Vitor Pereira, he stands again at the centre of Forest’s plans on two fronts: Europe and the league.
Pereira has his own selection issues before Porto’s visit. Midfielder Elliot Anderson is a doubt after missing training on Wednesday.
"Today, he was not able to train," the Forest boss confirmed. "He has personal problems, and we have to respect [them]. We will see [about tomorrow], we need to wait."
Forest cannot wait in any other sense. A European semi-final, a Premier League run-in, a World Cup on the horizon – Wood’s future is crammed with targets. His knee will not let him forget its presence, but it will not dictate his ambition either.
