Nottingham Forest have seen the very best of Ola Aina in the current Premier League campaign, and it was more of the same on international duty for Nigeria.
Ola Aina joined on a free transfer last summer, and he’s not looked back since, becoming a guaranteed started under Nuno Espirito Santo.
Interestingly, Aina is now believed to be in advanced talks to sign a new deal at the City Ground, which is just reward for his performances in the red shirt.
His versatility is something that Nuno Espirito Santo really likes, with the Nigerian international being used at left-back and right-back so far this season.
And his fine form continued on international duty for Nigeria yesterday as he put in a solid display against Libya.
How the Nigerian national press reacted to Ola Aina’s performance
Ola Aina’s performances have attracted the interest of AS Roma, who have him on a list of targets. Forest are reportedly looking for at least £8 million.
Ian Wright was even amazed by Aina’s defensive display against Liverpool, where Forest managed to come away with a 1-0 win at Anfield.
He’s in a rich vein of form and that was evident against Libya, where he received praise for a decent display at left-back.
Nigerian national media outlet Pulse Sports gave him a rating of 7/10 and stated this.
“Ola Aina had a decent performance in the game and made his presence known by supporting Moses Simon with his overlapping runs on the flank.”
Ola Aina’s performance in numbers against Libya
Aina played the full 90 minutes, had 74 touches, a passing accuracy of 95%, completed three of his three long balls, completed one of his three crosses, committed two fouls, lost possession nine times, won three duels, made two tackles and one interception.
Tying him down to a new deal would be brilliant business for Forest to help fend off any interest as the January transfer window approaches.
He’s a massive part of Nuno Espirito Santo’s plans and is a handy player to have with his versatility in defence.
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