Nottingham Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo says the club is “concerned but positive” about Taiwo Awoniyi’s recovery after the Nigerian striker was placed in an induced coma following emergency abdominal surgery.
Awoniyi, 27, sustained internal injuries in the final minutes of Forest’s 2-2 Premier League draw with Leicester City on Sunday. He collided with the post while trying to reach a cross from Anthony Elanga, who was later confirmed to be offside—though the assistant referee’s flag was delayed due to an offside protocol introduced in 2020.
“He went to surgery, surgery went well. Thank God,” Nuno told reporters ahead of Forest’s trip to West Ham on Sunday.
“He is under observation now, but he is recovering. We still have to wait for the doctors to allow visits. We are concerned but it is positive.”
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Awoniyi underwent the first stage of surgery on Monday, with the second completed on Wednesday before doctors woke him from the induced coma later that evening.
Forest defender Ola Aina had earlier criticised the offside rule for contributing to the injury, saying it “would never have happened” if the flag had been raised earlier.
Nuno also confirmed Awoniyi remains under close medical supervision: “The information that we have is that at least five days, he has to be there under observation, so that everything goes well,” he said.
“I’ll try to visit him as soon as possible. He’s in good hands, and the family is there, which is what he really needs—the support there of the family.”
The Forest manager admitted the incident has had a deep impact on the squad: “It has been very difficult because of the concern of the injury, the situation he went through. It’s been very difficult, very difficult on us and on everybody, the concern of the injury that he had, the situation that he entered through, it’s been hard on us.”
Awoniyi, who joined Forest from Union Berlin in 2022, has scored 19 goals in 85 appearances for the club and earned 10 caps for Nigeria since making his debut in 2021.
Nuno added: “The players are constantly chatting on the groups. We know that he’s well, he just needs time. I hope that next week he can join us and be around because he’s a wonderful boy, a wonderful boy, and this season has been so hard on him that he feels so sorry.”
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