Awoniyi to miss African Cup of Nations after undergoing operation for groin injury

SUPER Eagles striker Taiwo Awoniyi is certain to miss the forthcoming African Cup of Nations after his clubside Nottingham Forest revealed that the injury he recently picked up on international duty will rule him out of action for several months.

Last week, Awoniyi picked up an injury while on duty for Nigeria in a World Cup qualifier against Lesotho. He has since returned to his club but according to Steve Cooper, the Nottingham Forest manager, the striker will be sidelined for months because of the groin injury he picked up.

Awoniyi, 26, who has scored four goals in 11 appearances this season as Forest's first-choice striker, has been managing the problem since October. He played for Nigeria in its disappointing 1-1 draw with Lesotho in World Cup qualifying last week but then pulled out of the squad, missing a subsequent game against Zimbabwe and has since had an operation.

Mr Cooper said: “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."

Awoniyi has been struggling with injuries since he arrived at Nottingham Forest in 2022, after arriving at the club with a big reputation following his exploits at Union Berlin. Unfortunately, things have not panned out the way he would have hoped as last season, the striker missed almost three months because of a groin injury.

Prior to the international break, Forest boss Cooper was also unsure of Awoniyi’s fitness level but nonetheless, Super Eagles head coach Peseiro invited him for the two games. Awoniyi was taken off on the hour mark in the game against Lesotho and the extent of his injury was subsequently discovered.

It will be a miracle if Awoniyi plays at the Africa Cup of Nations, which is set to begin in January 2024. It is also a significant blow for Nottingham Forest, as Chris Wood and Divock Origi are the other strikers on the team but none of them is playing as well as Awoniyi at the moment.