Nottingham Forest manager Steve Cooper has cast doubts on the availability of Nigeria forward Taiwo Awoniyi and Senegal defender Moussa Niakhate ahead of the team’s Premier League away match with Brentford on Saturday.
Both players started the previous game against Brighton & Hove Albion which finished in a 3-1 win, ending an 11-game winless streak that pushed them out of the relegation zone.
Niakhate however lasted only 14 minutes and was replaced by Joe Worrall while Awoniyi lasted for 80 minutes before being replaced by Ghana forward.
Niakhate – who was a summer signing from Mainz has had to deal with a hamstring injury for much of the season which has limited him to just nine Premier League games. Awoniyi meanwhile returned to action at the start of April after missing the last two months due to a groin injury.
“It’s still a bit inconclusive on Moussa. We’ll have to see in regards to tomorrow,” Cooper said at the pre-match pressure conference.
“He definitely did the right thing coming off, he felt something in the game and we were able to make the change, but regards to the extent of his availability, we’ll have to wait and see.
“Taiwo Awoniyi also took a real bang to his shoulder too, so these are all things we have to consider ahead of Saturday.”
A reaction to Neco's injury and updates on Moussa and Taiwo were given in this morning's #BRENFO press conference ????
— Nottingham Forest (@NFFC) April 28, 2023
Cooper also confirmed that former Liverpool full-back Neco Williams has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a broken jaw after a colliding with teammate Brenan Johnson in the game against Brighton.
