“Bad for us” – Nottingham’s Espirito Santo explains why Ola Aina struggled at AFCON 2023 Final

Ola Aina emerged as one of the outstanding defenders in the just-concluded Africa Cup of Nations tournament with his role in Super Eagles right and left back

Nottingham Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santos has shed light on the challenges faced by Ola Aina during the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations final against Cote d’Ivoire,Soccernet.ng reports.

According to the former Wolverhampton boss, the Nigeria international sustained an injury during the AFCON semi-final clash against South Africa, which impacted his performance in the final against Ivory Coast.

Despite missing a penalty during the match against South Africa, Aina was spared from criticism by the Nigerian football community, as Kelechi Iheanacho’s final kick secured their spot in the final.

However, fans expressed disappointment with the Nottingham Forest defender’s performance in the final showdown against Ivory Coast, unaware of his injury.

Speaking ahead of Nottingham’s fixture against Aston Villa, Espirito Santo revealed that Aina, along with Willy and Ibrahim,will be unavailable for the match due to injury.

“Ola got injured in the semi-final and played the final with an injury, he tried but didn’t really play in the final. Ibrahim, the same, he was struggling since he was there at the AFCON. So the three of them (Ola, Willy, Ibrahim) are not available for this match, which is bad for us. We don’t have a date for their return,” Espirito Santo stated.

Despite his struggles in the final, Aina was recognized as one of the standout players in AFCON 2023, earning accolades as the best right back in the tournament’s best team.

NB: Do you think Ola Aina would have performed better at the AFCON final without the injury? Leave your comments below.