Nottingham Forest have a number of players currently trying to do their very best on international duty.
The Reds have made a mediocre start to the Premier League season, with last weekend’s 3-0 defeat to West Ham proving a real bump in the road on their journey.
Forest have seen a host of players jet off on international duty, and the hope will be that they all produce the goods and then return to the City Ground fit and healthy.
Elliot Anderson starred for England on his debut against Andorra, and other players were also out trying to do their very best in World Cup qualification on Saturday.
Ola Aina applauds the fans after Nottingham Forest vs Brentford
Photo by Ed Sykes/Sportsphoto/Allstar Via Getty Images
Aina hasn’t started the new season by his blistering high standards and perhaps a couple of matches for Nigeria will help him somewhat.
The Forest man signed a new contract in the summer and he was playing as the right-back as Nigeria defeated Rwanda 1-0 on Saturday.
Tolu Arokodare scored the game’s only goal and Nigeria now face a crunch game with South Africa on Tuesday night.
Aina was given a 5/10 for his showing by Pulse Sports, who wrote: “The Nottingham Forest man did grow into the game and showed initiative in the second half, but it was hardly enough to make up for his anonymous first 45 minutes.
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“He looked leggy at times and did not make up the yards when it was his responsibility to overlap, providing width in the first half.”
Own Goal Nigeria delivered a contrasting review, scoring him a 7/10 and saying: “Solid performance as he won all of his duels and linked up with the attack when required.”
Aina will have to up his game at Forest
It’s interesting that the Nigerian media have said he looked leggy because that’s exactly how he looked last week in the game against West Ham.
With Nicolo Savona and Oleksandr Zinchenko competing for the places at full-back, Aina is going to have to buck up his ideas if he’s to keep his place in the team.
Last season, Forest were in short supply of full-backs, but this season the squad is brimming with talent and ultimately, none of the new players have come to sit on the bench.
As they say, form is temporary and class is permanent, with the hope that Aina can now kick on and start to show the sort of form that made him one of Forest’s best defenders last season.