All Whites striker Chris Wood may still qualify for a Wembley cup final medal, despite leaving Newcastle United to spend the rest of the English Premier League season on loan with Nottingham Forest.
Newcastle United have reached the final of the 2023 Carabao Cup final in which they will face Manchester United on February 26.
But football writer James Rutherford suggests Wood (31) might still wear a winner’s medal if the Geordies take the cup.
“Wood would surely be eligible for a medal if we win the Carabao Cup. He featured three times for the Magpies in the run to the final, and actually played a pivotal role,” he wrote on the Geordie Boot Boys site.
“(He) scored the winner in our first game against Tranmere Rovers, then he found the net in the penalty shootout victory over Crystal Palace.”
Though on loan, Wood will still be registered with parent club Newcastle United at the time of the final.
Main photo: Chris Wood … played a pivotal role in United’s cup run. Photo: Shane Wenzlick / Phototek.
Wood made the trip to St James Park in midweek to watch his former teammates celebrate their 2-1 semi-final second leg win against Southampton.
After the game, Wood had a one-to-one talk with United manager Eddie Howe, and was invited into the home dressing room for the celebrations.
“It was great to see Chris,” Howe told reporters. “I saw him at length after the game. He came into my office, which was a really nice moment to share with him, because I had not seen him since he left.
“I spoke with him, obviously. I think he went into the changing room to see the players and both him and Jonjo (Shelvey) had a really good moment with the group.
“It just goes to show how popular they were, how integral they were to the squad and how much they are going to be missed by everybody.”
Defender Dan Burn told NUFC TV he was “really gutted” to see Wood leave while midfielder Sean Longstaff said the dressing room was “a bit down” after Wood’s departure.
READ MORE: Our previous stories about Chris Wood >>>>
Inside the dressing room
In NUFC TV’s behind-the-scenes coverage of the semi-final win, the cameras went into the Newcastle United dressing room.
At the end of the video, Chris Wood is seen talking with club co-owner Mehrdad Ghodoussi after being invited into the dressing room.
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