When it comes to injuries at Nottingham Forest, it never rains, and the club already has one to deal with in 2024-25.
The Reds began their season with a resounding 3-0 victory over League Two side Chesterfield.
Chris Wood, Josh Bowler and Ibrahim Sangare scored the goals as the majority of the squad got a run-out.
Matz Sels and Matt Turner weren’t in Derbyshire for the first friendly as they enjoy an extended rest after international duty.
Another absentee was Taiwo Awoniyi and he’s experienced some awful luck with injuries since arriving for Forest back in the summer of 2022.
Now, Nuno Espirito Santo has offered an update on the Nigerian as Forest prepare to fly to Spain for a pre-season training camp.
Nuno Espirito Santo offers update on Forest star Taiwo Awoniyi
This is becoming crazy, and it’s impossible not to sympathize with the striker at this point.
He has barely kicked a ball in training since returning to pre-season, and it appears that he is already injured.
With the player absent from the massive squad on display at Chesterfield, Espirito Santo was questioned about the talisman.
He confirmed the injury problem, telling Nottinghamshire Live: “He had an issue during the first training session of the week. Let’s see how long it takes.
“It was something in his calf. Unfortunately, he wasn’t right for today. Hopefully, he doesn’t miss too much of pre-season, For all of them pre-season is important, and more so for Taiwo.”
Forest facing conundrum with Awoniyi
This situation with the striker is growing increasingly concerning.
No footballer ever asks to be injured but Forest have to look after their own interests and having a striker who is often injured, isn’t ideal.
Awoniyi is a feared marksman when he’s fit and firing but particularly last season those times were far too infrequent.
The player is becoming a bit of a liability on the injury front and for some reason, his body keeps breaking down.
Forest already has some top-tier medical professionals on staff, and Awoniyi’s arrival will undoubtedly increase their workload.
Hopefully, this is nothing major, but it’s concerning that he hasn’t been able to participate in the first week of preseason training.
At 26 years old, Awoniyi should be at the pinnacle of his abilities, but his recurrent injury problems emphasize the necessity for Forest to sign another striker this summer.
