Nottingham Forest have revealed why Matz Sels, Elliot Anderson, Ola Aina and Omari Hutchinson were all absent from open training amid fitness worries. The Forest squad were holding their latest session at the City Ground in front of supporters, yet a crucial quartet were nowhere to be seen.

Prior to training, an official club statement confirmed: "Matz Sels and Elliot Anderson are resting following their recent international commitments, while Ola Aina and Omari Hutchinson are continuing with individual training programmes and will not be present with the group today."

All four players featured in the starting line-up that defeated Tottenham before the international break and are widely expected to return to action over the coming week. In the meantime, their individual workloads are being carefully managed, with Forest facing four fixtures in just 10 days, beginning with a Europa League quarter-final first leg away at Porto next Thursday.

Three successive home matches follow that encounter, with the second leg sandwiched between fixtures against Aston Villa and Burnley. Relegation rivals West Ham United also face a congested fixture list as they gear up for an FA Cup quarter-final against Leeds United...