Nottingham Forest manager Sean Dyche has provided fresh updates on the fitness of Taiwo Awoniyi and Ola Aina ahead of the club’s Premier League fixture against Everton.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference, Dyche confirmed that Awoniyi, who has missed Forest’s last three matches with a muscular injury, has returned to light training.
“Taiwo is on the grass and doing well,” Dyche said, adding that midfielder Douglas Luiz is close to rejoining full training, while goalkeeper Angus Gunn “is a bit delayed on that but getting better.”
Dyche also offered a timeline on Ola Aina, who has been sidelined since sustaining a hamstring injury in the opening minutes of Nigeria’s World Cup qualifier against South Africa in September.
“Ola Aina still a bit of time yet,” the Forest boss stated.
Aina will not feature for the club in the Premier League until January 2026, as he was not registered for the competition following the close of the summer transfer window.
The defender has not played for Forest since September but continues his rehabilitation.
Both Aina and Awoniyi have been named in Nigeria’s 54-man provisional squad for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco later this month.
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.
