Nottingham Forest defender Moussa Niakhate was named as a substitute in Senegal’s win over Bolivia on Saturday evening.

The Lowdown: Hamstring injury

Niakhate was one of 22 summer signings at the City Ground and began the campaign as first choice under Steve Cooper.

However, the 26-year-old suffered a hamstring injury in the first home game of the season against West Ham and hasn’t been seen since.

Cooper thought the centre-back would be out for a ‘few months’ following the injury on August 14, but it looks as if he is making good progress following an update while on international duty.

The Latest: Unexpected boost

Leicester Mercury shared a story on Sunday morning, claiming Forest have been handed an ‘unexpected boost’ ahead of the trip to The King Power next week.

They relayed the news of Niakhate making the matchday squad for his country against Bolivia, where he was seemingly fit enough to feature if required. Niakhate remained an unused substitute in a 2-0 win.

The Verdict: Back in the Forest squad soon?

It looks as if the defender, hailed as a ‘clever’ player by Bo Svensson, could be set for a return to action sooner rather than later.

He still has another seven days to get up to speed before Forest return to action, and by the looks of it, he is nearing full fitness after being included in Senegal’s squad on the weekend.

Senegal take on Iran on Tuesday, so it’ll be interesting to see if he makes an appearance, with a return to Cooper’s squad potentially on the cards against Leicester.