April 04, (THEWILL) – Nottingham Forest manager, Nuno Espirito Santo, addressed the media ahead of his team’s upcoming match against Aston Villa at Villa Park this weekend. Both teams are strong contenders for European spots this season, with Aston Villa still in the running for a UEFA Champions League and FA Cup double.
Forest aims to maintain their top four position, but they will face difficulties due to the absence of key defender Ola Aina. The Nigerian international sustained a calf injury during the 40th minute of Tuesday’s 1-0 victory over Manchester United at the City Ground. Nuno confirmed that Aina will be out for an extended period, stating: “He has had the scan and he is going to be out for a while. It is a calf problem. He is not going to be available.”
The loss of Aina is a significant setback for Nottingham Forest. Nuno acknowledged the impact, saying: “It is a big blow. We will miss his quality, his talent and the routines we already have with his teammates. We are going to miss him.”
Additionally, Eric da Silva Moreira is also injured, further limiting Forest’s defensive options. Moreira has been out for several weeks after sustaining an injury while playing for the Germany Under-19 national team. Still, Nuno remains optimistic about finding solutions to these defensive challenges.
“With Ola out, we are going to try to find solutions to the problems we have. The absence of Ola is a big one and we are going to miss him but we have to find solutions.” The manager is hopeful that Aina will return before the end of the season.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
