Nottingham Forest held a public Easter training session at the City Ground on Saturday, but one familiar Nigerian face was notably missing from the group — Ola Aina continuing individual work away from the main squad while Taiwo Awoniyi trained normally.
Nottingham Forest chose Easter Saturday to open their training session to fans at the City Ground, a gesture that followed a Nigerian-themed lunch the squad hosted earlier in the week that drew widespread attention online. Taiwo Awoniyi was front and centre in the session, a visible presence for Forest supporters at a time when the club’s Premier League survival push is demanding everything from its squad. But Ola Aina wasn’t there. The sight of one Nigerian Super Eagles player without the other prompted questions, and the club moved quickly to explain.
Forest’s official X account confirmed that Aina is on an individual training programme and would not be joining the group session. “Ola Aina and Omari Hutchinson are continuing with individual training programmes and will not be present with the group today,” the club stated. They also noted that goalkeeper Matz Sels and midfielder Elliot Anderson were resting after recent international commitments. There’s no suggestion of a serious setback for Aina — individual recovery programmes are routine at Premier League clubs during international-break weekends — but with Forest sitting 16th in the table, just three points above the drop zone, every available body matters. New Bet9ja users who want to follow the Premier League relegation battle can use the Bet9ja’s referral bonus to get started ahead of next weekend’s fixtures.
Aina’s Season and the International Question
Ola Aina made a deliberate choice not to answer Nigeria’s call during the March international break. He stayed at Forest while the Super Eagles played friendlies against Iran and Jordan, a decision that reflected his club’s relegation battle rather than any falling-out with the national setup. It’s the same calculation Blackburn’s Ryan Alebiosu made, and it’s hard to argue with the logic when three points separate your club from the Championship.
That absence from the international window meant Aina went into the Easter period fresher than teammates who did travel. The fact that he’s now on an individual recovery programme rather than full group training is a mild surprise, but again, the club’s framing of it as routine work rather than an injury setback is the key detail. Aina has been one of Forest’s most consistent performers when fit this season, and manager Sean Dyche won’t want to push him unnecessarily close to a muscle problem when the run-in is this tight. Those backing Forest’s survival push can grab the Bet9ja promotion code before the next home fixture at the City Ground.
Awoniyi’s Presence and What It Means for Forest
Taiwo Awoniyi training with the group is the more straightforwardly positive headline from Saturday’s session. The striker has had a difficult campaign with injuries, and his availability during the final stretch of the season is critical for a Forest side that desperately needs goals to secure survival. When Awoniyi is fit and playing, Forest are a different team. He brings a physical presence and hold-up quality that changes how they manage the ball in advanced positions.
The Nigerian-themed lunch earlier in the week, which Awoniyi and Aina hosted together, was a small but telling moment. It showed two players comfortable and connected at a club under pressure. For Nigerian football fans following both players through what could be a tense final few weeks of the Premier League season, that chemistry matters. Forest still have the Europa League quarter-final against Porto to navigate alongside their survival fight, a remarkable double challenge for a club sitting just above the relegation places. Forest fans placing early bets on the Europa League tie can check the full guide on Bet9ja’s referral code before signing up this weekend.
📌 Did You Know?
- Nottingham Forest are one of only two English clubs to have won the UEFA Champions League without ever winning the English top-flight title, winning back-to-back European Cups in 1979 and 1980 under Brian Clough.
- The City Ground, Forest’s home stadium on the banks of the River Trent, is one of the oldest football grounds still used for top-flight football in England, with a history stretching back to 1898.
- Ola Aina previously played for Hull City and Torino before joining Forest, giving him the unusual distinction of having played top-flight football in England, Italy, and now back in the Premier League with the same club.
- Taiwo Awoniyi joined Nottingham Forest for a fee believed to be around £17 million in 2022, making him one of the club’s most significant transfer investments in their post-promotion era.
- Bright Osayi-Samuel, who played all 180 minutes of Nigeria’s international window games against Iran and Jordan, has been one of the Super Eagles’ most consistent performers across the last two seasons despite the team missing the 2026 World Cup.
- Nottingham Forest’s Europa League quarter-final against Porto represents the club’s first appearance in a major European knockout round since their back-to-back Champions League triumphs ended over 40 years ago.
- Forest have had at least two Nigerian international players in their first-team squad every season since returning to the Premier League in 2022, a continuity that reflects the NFF’s strong relationship with English clubs at the top level.
