By Oluwadamilola Olaleye
Nottingham Forest manager Ange Postecoglou has described Ola Aina’s hamstring injury as a “pivotal blow” to his squad, after the Nigerian defender underwent successful surgery.
Aina sustained the injury in the opening stages of Nigeria’s FIFA World Cup qualifier against South Africa and has since gone under the knife. Initial assessments suggest the versatile full-back will be sidelined for up to three months, with early December targeted for his return.
“I was looking forward to working with him. I watched him as an opponent last year and, particularly with the way I like my full-backs to play, he was a perfect fit,” Postecoglou said.
“I know he was excited about the season ahead, back in European football. Sometimes when these things happen early, I told him the best part of the season will still be there for him to make a massive impact.”
The Australian manager, however, struck a positive note, confirming that the operation went well and stressing that Aina will remain close to the team during his recovery.
“His surgery went really well — that’s the first step. Now he’s got to work hard on his rehab, which I’m sure he will, and he’ll stay close to the group,” he added.
Forest have already been forced into reshuffling their domestic squad list in Aina’s absence, while there are growing concerns that the 28-year-old could also miss Nigeria’s Africa Cup of Nations campaign in Morocco early next year.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
