Nottingham Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo has revealed Ola Aina will be sidelined for a while with a calf injury he picked up in Tuesday’s 1-0 Premier League victory over Manchester United at the City Ground, Afrosport reports.
The 28-year-old Nigerian was replaced by Alex Moreno before the break and left the stadium in crutches.
The injury of Ola Aina is a big blow for Forest as he has been a vital part of Forest’s charge to secure Champions League football next season.
Espirito Santo is however confident that the former Chelsea player will be back before the end of the season.
“He has had the scan and he is going to be out for a while. It is a calf problem. He is not going to be available,” the Portuguese said ahead of this weekend’s clash with Midlands rivals Aston Villa.
“It is a big blow. We will miss his quality, his talent and the routines we already have with his teammates. We are going to miss him.
“Some players take more time, others less. We will assess him. He will definitely be out for Villa and for Everton he will be a doubt. Beyond that we will assess him. I am positive that we will see him again [before the end of the season].
“With Ola out, we are going to try to find solutions to the problems we have. The absence of Ola is a big one and we are going to miss him but we have to find solutions.”
Ladies and gentlemen, Ola Aina.
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— Nottingham Forest (@NFFC) November 2, 2024
Ola Aina has played every game in the league this season, totalling 2,574 minutes of action. He has also scored two goals and provided one assist.
