“Amazing job” – Espirito Santo salutes Awoniyi after Nottingham Forest vs Exeter clash

Nottingham Forest manager Nuno Espírito Santo has praised Taiwo Awoniyi’s display in their FA Cup clash against Exeter City, Soccernet.ng reports. 

The Nigerian striker, who has struggled for regular game time with Chris Wood being the preferred option in attack, took his chance in the FA Cup tie by scoring and putting in a strong performance.

In the 37th minute of the game, Ibrahim Sangare sent in a pass to Awoniyi, who fired a thunderous strike from the edge of the box to extend the Tricky Trees’ lead.

However, his night ended prematurely after suffering a broken nose in a collision with Exeter goalkeeper Joe Whitworth.

Speaking to talkSPORT after the game, Nuno hailed Awoniyi’s contributions to the game:

“I think he broke his nose, but he’s walking around smiling. He did an amazing job, he did really well today.”

Earlier in the January transfer window, Awoniyi was linked with a move away from Forest in search of more playing time, but no deal materialised.

Despite this, Nuno had previously expressed confidence in his squad, including the Nigerian forward.

“I think we are in a good place as a squad. As long as we keep ourselves healthy and work as good as we are working, I think we can compete until the end of the season,” Nuno said before the FA Cup fixture.

“It was a quiet window for all the clubs. It is always very difficult to operate, and we were aware of that. We had a clear intention to retain the core of the squad. All the players are here and available. We didn’t achieve what we wanted because it is very hard. We keep going.”

With Awoniyi impressing in his rare start, Nuno may have a selection dilemma in the coming weeks if Awoniyi returns quickly.