Nottingham Forest manager Steve Cooper has expressed uncertainty regarding Taiwo Awoniyi’s availability for Nigeria’s upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Lesotho and Zimbabwe.

Awoniyi recently returned to play for Forest after a brief injury break, coming off the bench in the second-half against Liverpool last weekend.

The Nigeria International started Sunday’s Premier League match against Aston Villa, though the Coach admits he isn’t fully fit.

Meanwhile Nigeria’s head coach, Jose Peseiro is expected to include Awoniyi in his squad for World Cup qualifiers this month.

However, Cooper is not sure whether he will permit Awoniyi to travel for the matches.

“The question of international duty [for Awoniyi] is a conversation for next week,” Cooper told the Nottingham Post.

“At the moment, we are just focusing on what we might be able to get out of him this weekend [against Aston Villa].”​

The Super Eagles are set to go up against Lesotho at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo on Thursday, November 16.

Following that, the three-time African champions will have a match against Zimbabwe four days later.