Santo hopes Awoniyi injury not serious

Nottingham Forest are once again sweating over the fitness of Nigeria international, Taiwo Awoniyi, after the striker picked up another injury in their 2-0 win over West Ham on Saturday.

Awoniyi scored the Tricky Trees’ first goal before he was substituted in the 67th minute with Divock Origi coming on for the Nigerian.

Despite a season blighted by injuries, the Nigerian striker remains Forest’s second top scorer with six goals from 14 league games with Chris Wood, the only player to have scored more than the Nigerians, scoring eight goals in 20 games.

The 26-year-old has been battling with injuries since he joined the Premier League club from Union Berlin and his recent injury is his ninth in the last year.

The former Union Berlin forward recently returned from a groin injury after the recurrence of the same kept him out of the Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast.

Since his return to fitness against Arsenal on January 30, the Nigerian has scored two goals in four games.

His fine form will however be halted should he spend another lengthy period on the sideline.

In their home clash on Saturday, Nuno Espirito Santo’s men welcomed West Ham and Awoniyi scored just before halftime to give his team the lead, with Callum Hudson Odoi scoring the second of the game.

With over 25 minutes still left to play, the Nigerian striker was taken off in what looked like another injury, and his coach mentioned he’d been struggling with the problem for a while, hinting at another groin lesion.

Giving an update on Awoniyi, the Forest boss believes the striker’s efforts after returning to the first-team picture may be to blame.

“We have to assess him and see how he is. We all know he has been struggling for a long time, and hadn’t played much. We have pushed him, and he’s done more than he should have. We hope it’s nothing serious,” the former Wolves manager said in quotes revealed by Derby Unifoot.

Nottingham Forest are currently 15th on the Premier League table and are six points clear of the relegation spots but Awoniyi’s absence will be a major blow to their relegation battle.

During Awoniyi’s last injury period, Nottingham Forest played nine games, lost six, drew one and managed to claim two victories.