Nottingham Forest coach, Nuno Espírito Santo, has ruled Taiwo Awoniyi out of the Tricky Trees’s games against Crystal Palace on Saturday (today) and Fulham next Tuesday, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
Awoniyi has been out injured after suffering a problem in the build-up to the game against Luton Town on March 16.
The 26-year-old has already missed a chunk of the season due to undergoing groin surgery in a bid to solve a longstanding problem. He made his comeback in January but Nuno had talked about managing him carefully as he struggled to return to full sharpness.
Speaking ahead of the Crystal Palace clash at the City Ground, Nuno expressed concern over Awoniyi’s injury, describing it as serious and significant setback for the team.
“He (Awoniyi) is doing treatment,” Nuno told Nottingham Post.
“It is a serious injury, unfortunately. It is a big blow for us because he had just come back (from an injury spell). The importance of Taiwo is huge. He gives us another option.
Nuno also refused to reveal a specify return date for the Nigerian striker who has scored six times this season in 17 Premier League games.
“I don’t know exactly how long he will be out for, but I am positive we are going to see him again this season,” Nuno said.
“He will definitely miss these two games.”
The Reds now find themselves in the bottom three after being docked four points for breaching financial rules. They have nine games left to try to claw their way out of trouble, starting with a visit from Crystal Palace on Saturday (today).
Meanwhile, in their bid to avoid another breach of the Premier League’s financial rules, Nottingham Forest could be forced to sell the Nigeria international.
Forests were handed a four-point deduction on Tuesday for breaching the Premier League’s Profitability and Sustainability Rules.
According to the Premier League, the City Ground landlords admitted breaching PSR by £34.5m above their permitted threshold of £61m.
