Aina out until December as scan shows he picked up a hamstring injury while on international duty

SUPER Eagles fullback Ola Aina will be out of action until December with a hamstring injury after a medical examination revealed that the knock he received while on international duty with Nigeria is worse than first thought.

On Tuesday, Aina, 28, limped off the pitch in a World Cup qualifier between Nigeria and South Africa early on in the first half. He has since returned to his club Nottingham Forest, where scans have revealed that he could be out for three months, possibly in a big blow for  new head coach Angel Postecoglou.

Aina started all but three of Forest’s Premier League games last season, having established himself as a key figure in the side under Nuno Espirito Santo. Over the last week, Coach Nuno Santo was sacked and replaced with Mr Postecoglou, who will now have to be without one of his key players as he starts his reign.

To make matters worse for Forest, coach Postecoglou will not be able to use the most likely replacement Oleksandr Zinchenko because they are facing his parent club Arsenal this weekend. Ukrainian fullback Zinchenko, is on a season-long loan for Arsenal, so will be forced to sit this game out.

In July, Aina committed his future to Forest by signing a new three-year contract, with one year left to run on his previous deal. Signed from Italian side Torino in the summer of 2023, Aina has been one of the best free transfer signings Nottingham Forest have made in the modern era.

His pace has been an asset at both ends of the pitch and the full back was an integral figure as Forest secured a surprise seventh-placed finish in the English Premier League last season. Coach Postecoglou is the kind of manager Aina would thrive under as his philosophy has been that his full backs must be comfortable in possession.

It is now widely expected that after this weekend when Zinchenko becomes available, Neco Williams switch to right-back, from the left-back position and the Ukrainian will play on the left. For the game against Arsenal this weekend, it is expected that Coach Postecoglou will give Italian youngster Nicolo Savona his Premier League debut.