Nottingham Forest manager, Nuno Espirito Santos, has disclosed that Super Eagles defender Ola Aina competed in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations final against Cote d’Ivoire while nursing an injury.
Espirito Santos revealed that Aina sustained the injury during the semi-final victory over South Africa. Despite the setback, Aina participated in the final match, where Nigeria ultimately fell to Cote d’Ivoire.
During the press conference ahead of Nottingham’s upcoming fixture against Aston Villa, Espirito Santo shed light on Aina’s condition, stating, “Ola got injured in the semi-final and played the final with an injury. He tried but didn’t really play in the final.”
Additionally, Espirito Santo mentioned that another player, Ibrahim, had been struggling with an injury since his time at the Africa Cup of Nations.
As a result, both Aina and Ibrahim, along with Willy, will be unavailable for the upcoming match. The manager expressed concern over their absence, noting that there is currently no set date for their return.
“Ibrahim, the same, he was struggling since he was there at the AFCON.
“So the three of them (Ola, Willy, Ibrahim) are not available for this match, which is bad for us. We don’t have a date for their return,” he said
