Nottingham Forest are sweating on the fitness of Super Eagles defender Ola Aina ahead of their Premier League meeting with Arsenal, after he limped off in Nigeria’s World Cup qualifier against South Africa on Tuesday, Footynaija.com reports.
The 28-year-old right-back, who has been a consistent figure for Nigeria with more than 45 caps, was forced off just ten minutes into the encounter in Bloemfontein. Bright Osayi-Samuel replaced him as the Super Eagles went on to complete the match without him.
Forest’s new head coach Ange Postecoglou was asked about Aina’s condition during his pre-match press conference on Thursday and admitted that the club are still waiting for clarity.
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According to a report by Nottingham Forest News, Postecoglou explained: “I think we have got a clean bill of health, apart from Aina. We will get some information on him after some scans.”
The Australian coach, who only replaced Nuno Espírito Santo earlier this week, refused to speculate on the length of Aina’s potential lay-off. Instead, he stressed that the medical team would provide the final word once results are confirmed.
Aina has started the season strongly for Forest, and has helped Nigeria record a clean sheet in the qualifier against Rwanda in Uyo. His defensive stability and attacking runs from full-back have been an asset for both club and country.
Forest face a huge test away at Arsenal on Saturday at the Emirates stadium, and losing Aina would be a setback for Postecoglou in his very first game in charge.
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