Explained: When could Rafa Mir return for Nottingham Forest?
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Rafa Mir missed Friday’s 3-2 win over Stoke City due to a lack of fitness, but Nottingham Forest say he’s ‘pushing to be involved’ against Blackburn Rovers on Tuesday. The 22-year-old picked up a leg injury early into the season and hasn’t played for over a month.
Forest’s injury update is good news, however, and suggests he’s nearing a recovery. But if Mir doesn’t feature against Blackburn (October 1) or Brentford (October 5), he’ll have to wait until after the international break to play again – Wigan Athletic (October 20).
While competition is fierce, there might be a place for the Spaniard upon his return. Against Stoke, Sabri Lamouchi’s only attacking options on the bench were Albert Adomah and Brennan Johnson. Forest had three defenders in the form of Yuri Ribiero, Chema Rodriguez and Tobias Figueiredo, so they could benefit from another striker in the squad.
Mir has a lot to prove, however. He’s yet to get off the mark in six appearances since joining on loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers, firing blanks against West Bromwich Albion (August 3), Leeds United (August 10), Fleetwood Town (August 13), Birmingham City (August 17), Charlton Athletic (August 21) and Derby County (August 27).
The centre-forward was brought in as cover for Lewis Grabban, so he needs to prove he can shoulder the scoring burden when called upon.