Nottingham Forest have been dealt a major blow regarding the fitness of Loic Mbe Soh ahead of their upcoming EFL Cup fixture.

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Speaking in his post-match press conference following the Reds' 2-1 defeat to Coventry City on Sunday, Chris Hughton revealed that he is facing something of an injury crisis in the heart of his Forest defence, with Joe Worrall having already being ruled of the fixture due to a calf injury, while his replacement in the side, Mbe Soh, was withdrawn shortly before half-time as a result of a groin strain.

And, with the club facing Bradford City in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday evening, it would seem as if the 20-year-old centre-back may well be watching the game alongside Worrall in the City Ground stands.

In his comments, as cited by Football League World, the Forest boss said: "Joe felt his calf [on Friday]. It's a disappointing one for us because Joe is one who has been a regular for us.

"He's a fit lad and a lad who over his career so far hasn't picked up many injuries. We'll see [how long he is out for]. We hope not, particularly with Loic going off today as well, but we'll see how he is over the next couple of days.

"It's a shame because I thought Loic played well. It was an opportunity for him to play a game at centre-half up against two or three very mobile forwards, and I thought he coped with it very well.

"It's not great news for us, but it's disappointing for him as well."

Hughton will be gutted

With there having been something of a defensive overhaul at Nottingham Forest this summer - with Yuri Ribeiro, Tyler Blackett, Michael Dawson and Michael Hefele all leaving the club on a permanent basis - the injuries to Worrall and now Mbe Soh have left Hughton rather short at the back, with 62-year-old having only Scott McKenna and Tobias Figueiredo as viable options in the centre of defence for the visit of Bradford on Wednesday.

And, while the Carabao Cup may not be a priority for the Garibaldi boss this season - as his focus is more likely on guiding Forest back towards the top of the Championship table - Mbe Soh's injury will nevertheless have left the manager gutted.

Indeed, before the 20-year-old was withdrawn against Coventry, he had highly impressed in the fixture, playing the ball to Brennan Johnson to create Forest's opener, as well as making one tackle, one interception and two clearances over his 45 minutes on the pitch.

As such, the cup fixture would more than likely have seen the man Scott Mckenna dubbed "one of the best trainers" be awarded more valuable game time by Hughton, in order to continue his development as a first-team player at the City Ground.

However, with the Frenchman now looking set for a spell on the sidelines, the Forest boss will have to make do with the limited players he has in the centre of his defence, something that will undoubtedly be a blow for the Irishman.

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