Nottingham Forest defenders Rodrigo Ely and Loic Mbe Soh are both making progress in their bids to return to action, Steve Cooper has revealed.
Since joining Nottingham Forest, Rodrigo Ely has been working his way back to full fitness.
The 27-year-old centre-back had been sidelined with a long-term injury prior to joining Forest and setbacks mean he is yet to make his debut.
As for Mbe Soh, a thigh problem and a groin injury have limited him to just two Championship appearances so far.
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However, encouraging updates on both defenders have emerged from manager Steve Cooper.
As quoted by Nottinghamshire Live, Cooper revealed that Ely will make a return to action for Nottingham Forest’s U23s next Monday as he takes an “important step” on his road to recovery.
“Rodrigo will play next Monday for the Under-23s,” Cooper stated.
“That’s going to be an important step for his return to play, because he’s been out for a long time and has had a couple of setbacks since he’s been here, which have set him back a week or so.
“He’s trained for a couple of weeks now. It will be good for him to play on Monday – and it’s a game I’ll be at as well, all being well.”
Cooper also had a positive update on Mbe Soh, revealing that the French defender is “really upping” his rehabilitation as he bids to return to full fitness.
“Loic is really upping his rehab,” he said.
“He’s still classed as being injured, but we’ve seen him on the grass now and he’s at the next stage of starting to run with his boots on.
“I don’t think he’s too far away from kicking a ball, so he’s making good progress.”
Welcome boosts for Cooper and co
With Ely and Mbe Soh making progress on the respective roads to recovery, Cooper will be looking forward to having more options available at centre-back.
A back three of Joe Worrall, Scott McKenna and Tobias Figueiredo has been Cooper’s go-to defence since arriving at the City Ground, leaving options limited.
However, once back fit, Ely and Mbe Soh will provide further cover and competition, so it will be interesting to see if either can make their way into Cooper’s starting XI. More competition will help get the best out of all defenders, so it remains to be seen who can solidify a spot in the side.
