Nottingham Forest manager Vitor Pereira has delivered a sobering injury update following his side's heartbreaking Europa League exit, confirming that four key players are all currently sidelined.

Morgan Gibbs-White, Murillo, Ibrahim Sangare, and Dan Ndoye were all named on the bench for Thursday night's second leg, but Pereira has since admitted none were fit enough to feature. The revelation comes after Forest's European dream was crushed by a 4-0 defeat to Aston Villa, overturning their 1-0 first-leg advantage.

"If you look at our bench today, we brought three players in condition to play – Lorenzo Lucca, Dilane Bakwa and Ryan Yates," Pereira explained. "We had three injured players not in condition to go on the pitch and help the team, three boys from the academy and Murillo. Murillo was a risk to play. He was not yet ready to play."

The injury crisis doesn't end there. The Portuguese boss also confirmed that Ola Aina and Callum Hudson-Odoi are among the walking wounded, leaving his squad threadbare for a crucial Premier League run-in. With just three games remaining, Forest sit only six points above the relegation zone, and survival is far from guaranteed.

"Aina out. Dan Ndoye out. Sangare out. Callum out. Murillo out. Morgan out. It is too much," Pereira lamented. "I don't know if some of them can recover for the next match. We tried everything but we didn't have the solutions."

Forest now turn their attention to Sunday's home clash against Newcastle United at the City Ground. With several stars likely missing, Pereira will need to dig deep into his squad's reserves. "When we tried to risk something with the solutions we had on the bench, they scored two more goals. A sad day, difficult, but we need to look for the future."

Despite the crushing disappointment, Pereira remained defiant: "In the end, I am proud of my team and my players, proud of our supporters. We came without conditions to compete for the final, difficult conditions for us."

For fans heading to the City Ground this weekend, it's a stark reminder of the physical toll of a long season – and why having the right kit and recovery gear matters more than ever as the squad battles to stay in the Premier League.