By Dayo Awoniyi
Nottingham Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo has expressed concern over the extended injury absence of Nigerian defender Ola Aina, describing it as a major setback to the club’s defensive stability.
Aina has been out of action since sustaining an injury during Forest’s Premier League clash against Manchester United in April.
Since then, Forest have struggled to maintain consistency in their back line—a situation Nuno says has disrupted the team’s defensive rhythm.
“We’ve really missed Ola, particularly because of the stability he brought to the back four and our defensive routines,” Nuno told reporters during a press conference.
“I can’t even recall how many times we’ve had the same players in defence—consistency is vital.”
The Portuguese manager confirmed that the club will continue to monitor Aina’s recovery, though no specific timeline has been provided for his return.
“We’ll assess his progress and see how soon he can return to the squad,” he added.
Aina, who joined Forest in the summer of 2023, has become an integral part of the team’s defensive setup.
His absence has been felt not only on the pitch but also in the overall cohesion of the squad. Both the manager and supporters are eagerly awaiting his comeback as the season nears its climax.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career 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.
