Forest Sweat over Injured Taiwo Awoniyi Ahead Fulham Clash

Duro Ikhazuagbe

 Ahead of Nottingham Forest’s away trip to Fulham in Saturday afternoon Premier League clash, Coach Nuno Espirito Santo, has said that Super Eagles forward, Taiwo Awoniyi who broke his nose in Tuesday’s FA Cup win over Exeter, is undergoing medicals to ascertain his suitability for the game.

“He is with the medical department and waiting for the right protocols to be followed. 

“We have to wait and see if he is available. With concussion we have to be really careful. He is OK – he is smiling,” observed Santo yesterday.

Awoniyi has dropped in the striking pecking order and has been struggling for match time mostly from the bench.

 This season, Awoniyi has struggled to find the back of the net with just two goals so far unlike in his first season when he banged in 10 goals in the 2022-2023 season.

The Nottingham Forest’s Boss also threw light on Ola Aina’s contract talks, stressing that the Super Eagles defender was on verge of a renewed deal.

“Things are going well (for Ola Aina). I am positive and confident everything will be solved.”

With Nottingham Forest surprisingly third on the Premier League standing on 47 points behind Arsenal (50) and leaders Liverpool (57), no-one expected Nuno Espirito Santo’s side to be fighting for the Champions League places, but halfway through February, they are in the thick of the race.

Tuesday’s going-the-distance FA Cup tie at Exeter City exposed the limitations of Nuno’s second-string, with key players Matz Sels, Morgan Gibbs-White, Chris Wood and Elliott Anderson among those summoned from the bench to perform a rescue act.

Indeed, in Sels and defenders Ola Aina, Nikola Milenkovic and Murillo, Forest have four players with more than 2,000 league minutes this season, which means they are being overwhelmed with work.