Nottingham Forest head coach Steve Cooper has confirmed that Taiwo Awoniyi will spend months on the sidelines through injury he picked while on International duty.
Playing little over an hour for Nigeria in their 2026 FIFA qualifying clash against Lesotho against Lesotho, the striker was substituted after some discomfort before finally withdrawing from international duty last week due to an aggravation of a groin injury he picked up in October.
Taiwo Awoniyi who has scored four goals in 11 appearances for Forest this season, will now spend an extended spell on the sidelines.
Speaking in this morning’s press conference ahead of Saturday’s fixture against Brighton and Hove Albion, Cooper said: “It’s bad news on Taiwo, he’s had to have surgery and he is going to be out for months.
“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.”
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