Chris Wood will be assessed by Nottingham Forest this week with the club cautiously optimistic their top scorer has not suffered a significant injury.

Wood’s 18 goals have pushed Forest towards qualification for next season’s Champions League and nerves were jangling at the City Ground when the 33-year-old was forced off during New Zealand’s World Cup qualifier against New Caledonia on Monday.

But Mail Sport understands Forest are encouraged by the update from the New Zealand camp and are hopeful that Wood will be back in action for them very soon.

The 3-0 win over New Caledonia sealed the All Whites’ spot at next year’s World Cup, the first time they have reached the Finals since South Africa 2010.

Wood clocks up more than 100,000 miles across a season to play for New Zealand and in an exclusive interview with Mail Sport last November, the forward explained why he would not have it any other way.

‘I love playing for my country and that will never change,’ he said. ‘Every club I have signed for has known about it. The World Cup in 2026 is such a big pull.

Nottingham Forest are given a scare as Chris Wood hobbles off while on international duty

Nuno Espirito Santo faces an anxious wait as his key man is assessed by the club this week

Chris Wood’s 18 goals have put Forest on the brink of qualifying for the Champions League

‘It’s a 28-hour journey and there are times where it takes a lot out of you but if the club are willing to work with you and I’m willing to listen to them, we can help each other.’

Forest’s next match is an FA Cup quarter-final at Brighton on Saturday before they take on Manchester United at the City Ground in the Premier League three days later.

With the top five clubs expected to qualify for the Champions League, Nuno Espirito Santo’s men are third, seven points clear of sixth-placed Newcastle, who have a game in hand.