Chris Wood never doubted he would return to action for Nottingham Forest this season, but the knee injury that kept him out for six months is one that will require “years of managing”. The Reds striker made his comeback from a lengthy spell on the sidelines last week. He started the 1-1 Europa League quarter-final first leg against Porto and then came off the bench in Sunday’s Premier League stalemate with Aston Villa on the banks of the Trent. Before that, Wood had last featured for Forest in October – in the 3-0 defeat to Chelsea that marked the end of Ange Postecoglou’s time in charge. He says he came close to returning toward the end of last year, before it was decided surgery was required. “I always had confidence I would be back this season,” the New Zealand international said ahead of Thursday’s second leg clash with Porto at the City Ground (8pm kick-off). “Being injured is always horrible; you never know what might happen in the future or how you are going to come back from it. Mentally that is a tough thing. WORLD CUP LEGENDS: The stars who lit up football’s greatest tournament – Buy the Special Edition today “But I always had confidence I was going to come back. I was very close to returning before surgery and it just didn’t happen. That’s just unfortunate. “We tried (to heal the injury) conservatively, without surgery. We got very close to returning, which was the frustrating point. I was a day or two away from training with the boys and a week away from selection, so that makes it more frustrating. “I am very pleased to be back. The reception (against Villa) was lovely to be a part of. Hopefully I can pay people back for the faith that the fans showed by scoring goals and doing well for the team this season and in years to come.” Wood added: “It’s one of those, it’s a knee injury. It’s going to take years of managing throughout my whole career, in my life when I have finished playing. “When I’m playing with my kids, playing golf or doing whatever I do after (playing), it’s going to be there. I wouldn’t say ‘managing’, per se, but it’s always going to be in the back of my mind that I need to be in top shape.” Wood enjoyed a stellar 2024/25 campaign with the Reds, finishing as the club’s top scorer with 20 Premier League goals. He recognises it will take time to get back to full sharpness in the remainder of this term, after so long out. “I feel as though I’m fully up to fitness. The only way to get sharp is to get out on the pitch and play games,” he said. “I need to hit the ground running and do that straight away, because we’ve got no time to waste.” Much changed at the City Ground during Wood’s absence. The Reds are on their fourth head coach of the season, in Vitor Pereira, and are attempting to balance a push for European glory with the battle for Premier League survival. “The most important game is the next one, and that is tomorrow night,” Wood said. “If we get the job done, then we can focus on getting the job done on Sunday (against Burnley). Both are vitally important to us and we want to win both of them.”