Nottingham Forest head coach, Nuno Espirito Santo has confirmed that defender Ola Aina remains a doubt ahead of their crucial Premier League clash against Brentford on Thursday.
The 28-year-old has been instrumental in Forest’s impressive campaign as they continue their push for a Champions League spot.
However, he has been sidelined in recent weeks due to a calf injury and was notably absent during Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final defeat to Manchester City.
Without Aina, Forest have managed just one win in their last four matches a dip in form that highlights the Nigerian’s importance to their defensive structure.
Speaking during a press conference ahead of the Brentford fixture, Nuno Espirito Santo expressed concern over Aina’s fitness while acknowledging the void his absence has created.
“Ola’s injury status is still the same. We still have one more day. We are assessing all the players and trying to make the right decisions,” Nuno said.
“We have a lot of players to assess. It was a very demanding game and a lot of players finished with cramps. We are assessing all of them.”
He added: “All the players who have been out are important to us. We have spoken many times about that. We have been missing Ola, especially because of the stability of the back four we had and the routines.
“I don’t know how many times we had the same players that’s crucial, especially in defence. We will assess him and see how fast he can return to the team.”
Nottingham Forest currently sits sixth on the Premier League table but could climb back to third if they win their outstanding match against Brentford.
With four league games left, including Thursday’s encounter, Forest remains in contention for a top-four finish and a return to the UEFA Champions League.
