Nottingham Forest have been dealt a devastating injury blow regarding Taiwo Awoniyi. The Reds talisman has needed to undergo surgery and will miss three to four months
The Nigerian reported back from international duty last week after picking up an injury against Lesotho. Now, it’s been claimed that he’s going to be missing until next year.
Awoniyi signed for Forest from Union Berlin in 2022. He was the club’s first summer signing after winning promotion and he cost Forest around £18 million.
Forest handed devastating injury blow
Awoniyi has now had surgery on his troublesome groin problem. The news has been reported by Charlotte Duncker of The Times who is typically on the pulse with Forest news.
This is a huge blow for Awoniyi and for Forest. The 26-year-old scored his first goal since August against West Ham and he’s scored 15 in total since signing for the club.
It’s not just his goals that Forest will miss, however. Awoniyi is a physical presence that can bully opposition defenders and that aspect will be sorely missed in the Forest team.
Who steps up to replace Awoniyi at Forest?
Chris Wood is just behind Awoniyi in the Forest goalscoring charts. The Reds forward has three goals to his name and now he will hope to grasp another chance.
The big problem, however, is that he’s also had his injury problems at the City Ground. In reserve to him, there is Divock Origi and he will now be hoping for a chance to prove himself.
In truth, the January transfer window can’t come soon enough. Awoniyi will need replacing and losing him at this stage could be seriously detrimental to the team’s fortunes.
The challenge in the short-term is for someone else to step up. Losing Awoniyi’s goals is difficult for Forest and hopefully, this won’t derail the season too much.