Nottingham Forest will be without defender Ola Aina for three months due to a hamstring injury he sustained on international duty with Nigeria, Afrosport reports.
Aina suffered the injury in the first half of their 2026 World Cup qualifying clash against South Africa on Tuesday. The full back was replaced by Bright Osayi-Samuel in the 10th minute following a harsh challenge from a Bafana Bafana defender.
New Forest boss Ange Postecoglou announced on Thursday that the 28-year-old would undergo further assessments on the injury. Scans have now confirmed the severity of the issue, with Aina sideline until new year.
Forest signed Aina in July 2023 after his contract at Torino expired. The Nigeria international has made 62 appearances at the City Ground, including starting their first three Premier League games this season.
Following the confirmation of his injury, the former Chelsea and Fulham defender is expected to be removed from Forest’s squad for this campaign but can be re-entered after the January transfer window.
This provides the Tricky Trees with the chance to register Nigerian forward Taiwo Awoniyi in their 25-man squad
Forest, 10th in the league, will begin life under Postecoglou with a visit to north London to face Arsenal on Saturday.
