October 21, (THEWILL) – Nottingham Forest defender, Ola Aina, has returned to fitness in a boost for Nigeria manager, Jose Peseiro, ahead of next month’s 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Lesotho and Zimbabwe.
Peseiro has until the end of October to name his provisional squad for the crunch World Cup qualifiers. The Portuguese tactician will be hoping Aina can regain match sharpness in time for selection.
Aina has recovered from a muscle injury that kept him out for around a month and was named among the substitutes for Forest’s Premier League clash with Luton Town on Saturday.
The Chelsea Academy graduate was initially called up for Nigeria’s October friendlies against Saudi Arabia and Mozambique but withdrew due to injury. In Aina’s absence, Peseiro used Empoli’s Tyronne Ebuehi and Fenerbahce’s Bright Osay-Samuel at right-back.
Aina was voted Forest’s Player of the Month for September following a series of standout displays. Meanwhile, striker Taiwo Awoniyi is sidelined with a groin issue but is expected to resume training next week.
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Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
