Nottingham Forest have been rocked by the news of Ola Aina’s hamstring injury, making a significant decision in response to his 3-month absence.
Aina suffered an injury on Nigeria duty during the international break, but he was shown to be limping off the pitch without support, which provided some hope over the severity of the issue.
When asked about the fitness of his squad, new boss Ange Postecoglou said Aina needed to have scans before a timeline could be determined, with the update from those scans a brutal one.
Aina will be missing for at least three months due to his hamstring issue, with reporter John Percy confirming what the Reds have done in response.
Ola Aina in action for Nottingham Forest against West Ham
Photo by Nigel French/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images
Nottingham Forest respond to Ola Aina’s hamstring injury
Given how comfortable he is in possession, you’d imagine that Aina would’ve been a crucial figure in Postecoglou’s quest to adapt his new side to his methods.
His hamstring issue has given the Australian an unwanted headache, though, with Percy reporting for The Telegraph that Forest have taken the Nigerian right-back out of their Premier League squad for now.
Percy said: “Aina was taken off in the 10th minute of Nigeria’s World Cup qualifier against South Africa on Tuesday and scans have revealed that he will be out of action until early December as a best-case scenario.
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“Aina’s absence for such a long period means that he has been excluded from Forest’s Premier League squad, which was submitted on Thursday.
“[…] Taiwo Awoniyi, who was left out of Forest’s Europa League squad, will now be named in the domestic squad after Aina’s injury.”
Of course, Forest signed Nicolo Savona for this very scenario so he should be able to step in, but last season showed that Aina’s absence will be a major concern for Postecoglou.
Nottingham Forest’s record without Ola Aina last season
Back in April, Aina was injured against Manchester United as the Reds continued to fight for a Champions League spot, but the right-back’s absence coincided with a brutal month of results.
Fixture Result
Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest 2-1 defeat
Nottingham Forest vs Everton 0-1 defeat
Tottenham vs Nottingham Forest 1-2 victory
Manchester City vs Nottingham Forest 2-0 defeat
Aina missed four matches in April
Ironically, the one victory came against Postecoglou’s Tottenham, but two league defeats and the loss to Man City in the FA Cup semi-final saw the Reds lose ground in the top 5 chase.
It was Neco Williams who covered for Aina by moving over from left-back, but with Savona through the door, he would be the logical replacement.