Nottingham Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo remains hopeful that injured striker Taiwo Awoniyi could rejoin his teammates next week, despite the Nigerian forward still being hospitalized following emergency surgery for a ruptured intestine.
Awoniyi underwent urgent surgery after colliding with a goalpost during Forest’s 2-2 draw with Leicester City last weekend, an incident that has sparked ongoing debate regarding the delayed offside rule introduced in 2020.
“The information we have is that he needs to stay in the hospital for at least five days under observation. I will visit him as soon as possible. He is in good hands, and his family is with him,” Nuno said.
The Forest manager confirmed that the surgery was successful and expressed relief over the positive outcome. “He underwent surgery, and it went well, thank God. He is under observation now, but he is recovering. We just need to wait for the doctors to approve visits,” Nuno added.
Meanwhile, Forest players have been staying in touch with Awoniyi through group chats, offering their support. They plan to show solidarity with their injured teammate during their match at West Ham on Sunday.
“The players are in constant communication, and we know he is doing well. He just needs time. I hope next week he can be with us again. He’s a wonderful guy, and this season has been incredibly tough on him. We feel deeply for him,” said the Portuguese coach.
The injury occurred in the final moments of Sunday’s match when Awoniyi collided with the post while attempting to score a goal that would have given Forest a 3-2 lead. He was unaware that he was offside. Despite the injury, the 27-year-old played on for about seven minutes of added time before being rushed into surgery the following day.
Awoniyi’s teammate, Ola Aina, who also plays for both Forest and Nigeria, confirmed he had reached out to the striker. “I’ve sent him a message, and the whole team has. I’ve heard he’s recovering well, so hopefully, we’ll hear from him soon.”
Aina also criticized the delayed offside rule, which he believes played a role in the incident. “You think ‘offside’ immediately. Surely the flag should just go up. Anthony (Elanga) was clearly offside. Everyone could see it, and so could I from where I was. Having to wait and then seeing this happen… None of this would have happened if the flag had been raised earlier,” Aina said.
The severity of Awoniyi’s injury has brought renewed attention to the IFAB directive, which allows the flag to be delayed only in clear attacking situations where a player is about to score or has a clear path toward the opponent’s penalty area.
Earlier in the season, Awoniyi also suffered a broken nose during an FA Cup tie against Exeter City. Due to the seriousness of his current injury, a timeline for his recovery has not yet been established.
