Taiwo Awoniyi’s health has, of course, been the focus of attention for all Nottingham Forest fans this week, with Nuno Espírito Santo offering an update.
Awoniyi suffered a serious injury against Leicester City that wasn’t quite understood at the time, but the severity would become clearer as the days went on.
The Nigerian striker had suffered a ruptured intestine when colliding with the post at the City Ground, eventually being rushed into hospital and placed in a medically induced coma.
Forest released a statement on Awoniyi detailing the successful surgery he had to deal with the serious injury, with Espírito Santo offering an update on his wellbeing in his pre-match press conference ahead of the trip to face West Ham United on Sunday.
Photo by MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Photo by MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Nuno Espírito Santo offers update on Taiwo Awoniyi’s injury
Ever the professional, Espírito Santo had to explain Evangelos Marinakis’ actions after the Forest owner stormed onto the pitch in frustration after what happened with Awoniyi.
The Forest manager has again had the eyes of the media on him during his pre-West Ham press conference, in which Awoniyi was inevitably the main topic of discussion.
Espírito Santo said: “He had surgery, the surgery went well, thank God, so he’s on observation now. I think he is recovering, but we still have to wait for the doctors to allow visits. His family are there, we are concerned, but we are positive.”
This concern is natural given the severity of the injury and subsequent surgery, but the fact that Awoniyi’s family have been able to visit him is an incredibly positive update.
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With the worst of it looking like it’s over, Espírito Santo was also asked about whether we may see the striker among the Forest squad to offer support before the end of the season.
Taiwo Awoniyi could be seen at the City Ground this season
As you’d expect with the seriousness of the situation, Awoniyi has a long way to go before he can get back on the pitch, but Espírito Santo was somewhat positive about the chances of seeing the 27-year-old back in a supportive role before the season’s end.
He continued: “The information that we have is at least five days he has to be there for observation, so hopefully everything goes well. […] We know that he is well, he just needs time and I hope that next week he can join us and be around.
“Believe me, he’s a wonderful boy, and this season has been so hard on him that we feel so sorry.”
Chris Wood has been one of the league’s top strikers this season, so Awoniyi’s game time has been limited. Regardless, though, his recovery will provide the squad with the sort of boost that could make the vital difference as the season comes to a close.