Nottingham Forest and Nigeria football team received bad news this week as their top goalscorer Taiwo Awoniyi underwent groin surgery that will likely see him sidelined for months.
Awoniyi had been struggling with the groin issue since October. He was ruled out of Nigeria’s recent friendly match and it was decided surgery was needed to properly fix the injury.
This is the second extended absence for the 25-year-old after a similar groin problem kept him out for a large part of last season.
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Forest coach Steve Cooper said Awoniyi’s injury is really unfortunate. Awoniyi scored four goals in his first 11 games, becoming their lead striker. The club will now have to cope without his scoring threat for an extended period.
Awoniyi worked very hard to recover the last time he was injured. Cooper expects the dedicated player will do everything to get healthy and contribute again before this season ends.
Going into Saturday’s match with Brighton, 14th place Forest hopes other players can help fill the void left by Awoniyi’s prolonged absence up front. The team has won 2 out of 6 recent matches.
