Nuno Espirito Santo: Ola Aina still struggling with AFCON injury

The former Wolverhampton Wanderers boss highlighted that Aina had sustained an injury during the AFCON semi-final clash against South Africa, which significantly impacted his performance in the final against Ivory Coast.

Despite enduring criticism for missing a penalty during the match against South Africa, Aina had been shielded from harsh judgment by the Nigerian football community, thanks to Kelechi Iheanacho's decisive goal securing their place in the final.

However, fans expressed disappointment with the performance of the Nottingham Forest defender in the final showdown against Ivory Coast, unaware of the extent of his injury.

Ahead of Nottingham's upcoming fixture against Aston Villa, Espirito Santo disclosed that Aina, alongside Willy Boly and Ibrahim Sangare, will be sidelined for the match due to injury concerns.

"Ola got injured in the semi-final and played the final with an injury, he tried but didn't really play in the final," said Espirito Santo.

"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."