Nottingham Forest manager Steve Cooper has confirmed that Taiwo Awoniyi will be out of action for months after having surgery on a recurrent groin injury.
The injury resurfaced while he was on international duty for Nigeria. He played for 60 minutes in the 2026 World Cup qualifier against Lesotho but was forced to withdraw and missed the next game against Zimbabwe.
Cooper has called for support for Awoniyi during his injury spell and is confident the 26-year-old will come back stronger like he did towards the end of last season where he scored six goals in the final four games of the season and a total of 10, all of which were crucial towards Forest’s survival.
“It’s bad news on Taiwo, he’s had to have surgery and he is going to be out for months,” Cooper said on the club website.
“We’ll support him and try to get him back as quick and as fit as he can be, but it’s a really unfortunate situation and a blow for him.
“He’s become an important player for us with the goals he’s scored and the goals he will score for us, but he’s such a good guy and a good professional who is desperate to do well, so to get an injury like this is harsh on him.
“We’ve got to support him through the process of coming back stronger. He’s done that once before here and I’m sure he will give everything again like he did last time.
“You think about how well he did when he returned last season, I’m sure that’s given him a good reference point to come back to.
“We’ll definitely see him again this season, but it’s groin surgery so it will take a little while.”
Head Coach Steve Cooper has provided an injury update on @taiwoawoniyi18.
— Nottingham Forest (@NFFC) November 23, 2023
Awoniyi has played 10 times in the Premier League this season and has scored four goals, including the last game against West Ham United which ended in a 3-2 defeat.
Forest currently occupies 14th place on the table, eight points clear of the relegation zone and will host Brighton & Hove Albion at the City Ground on Saturday afternoon.
