Lots of Nottingham Forest players will be heading back to the East Midlands soon after representing their country on international duty over the last fortnight.
The Premier League gets back underway this weekend when Forest face Liverpool at Anfield with the Reds looking to maintain an unbeaten start to the campaign.
Forest have had 14 players on international duty during the international break and most of the players have got minutes under their belt.
The Reds will now be hoping that when the roll call comes back at the Nigel Doughty academy there are no injuries to report for Nuno Espirito Santo.
National media reacts to performance of Ola Aina
The defender has been in fine form for Forest since making a free transfer from Torino in the summer of 2023.
He’s played on both sides of the pitch for Forest but has made the left-back spot his own when he’s managed to stave off injuries.
Aina is currently playing regularly for Nigeria too and yesterday he was in action during a disappointing 0-0 draw against Rwanda.
The fixture was an African Cup of Nations qualifier and it does represent a bit of a drab result considering the quality that Nigeria had on show.
Aina did well during the game it seems and the national media appear to be very impressed with his efforts.
All Nigeria Soccer gave him a 7/10 and claimed: “He was rock solid, most notably in the opening minutes of the game when Rwanda tried creating opportunities from his position, and his long throws were as threatening as ever.”
BSN Sports also handed out a 7/10 for Aina and they claimed: “Aina played a key role in defence, often stepping in as the last man during set pieces. His defensive work was complemented by his attacking efforts, including a long throw-in leading to the disallowed goal for Nigeria in the second half.”
Finally, Brila claimed he was Nigeria’s star man and gave him 8/10: “Aina was Nigeria’s best player on the night. Solid defensively, he was also a constant threat going forward, creating four chances.
“His long throw-ins caused problems for Rwanda, and his all-around energy on the right was unmatched.
“The Nottingham Forest man also made 3 clearances and 4 recoveries and created the most chances in the match.”
Aina will remain integral at Forest
Amid a host of new full-back signings, it’s hard to imagine Aina losing his place in the team any time soon.
Espirito Santo is a head coach who rewards strong performance levels and it would appear that Aina has stayed true to form on international duty.
Aina collects £40,000-a-week from Forest and perhaps talks over a new deal should commence to reflect his true value to the team.
The player typically operates as a left-back but as he’s shown with Nigeria, he’s now averse to playing on the right either.
Aina was handed a one-year extension to his deal last summer but now it’s definitely time for Forest to consider a longer contract for a player who is only 27.
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