Super Eagles defender Ola Aina got 87 minutes of action for Nottingham Forest in their hard-fought 2-1 victory over Manchester United at City Ground, Soccernet.ng reports.

Awoniyi has not been in action for Nottingham Forest since November, but the club has returned to form since Nuno Espirito Santo took over as coach two weeks ago.

The Tricky Trees defeated Newcastle United last week. But this time, they were faced with a tricky Manchester United side who have had a yo-yo season.

Aina started at left-back when Nottingham Forest took on Manchester United at City Ground on Saturday in their final game of the year.

The first half was drab, with both sides lacking cutting edge. Aina was very rugged and hardly let anything get past him. The first half ended goalless, with both sides conjuring just seven goal attempts.

However, the game opened up in the second half, and Nottingham Forest got in front in the 64th minute via a goal from Nicolas Dominguez.

However, Marcus Rashford scored the equalizer for the Red Devils in the 78th minute to set up the game for a frenetic end.

However, Morgan Gibbs-White scored the winner for the Tricky Trees in the 82nd minute.

Aina, who had a great performance, got 82 minutes of action. He registered three clearances, five tackles, 50 touches, and one key pass.

Next up for Aina is the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations. He made the 25-man final list for the tournament, and he will resume camp on January 1.

Nottingham Forest, boss Steve Cooper, has challenged Super Eagles striker Taiwo Awoniyi to better his last-term goal haul, Soccernet.ng reports.

The 26-year-old made a significant impact in his first season with the Tricky Tree, scoring 10 Premier League goals to help them avoid immediate relegation back to the English second tier after they gained promotion to the top flight for the first time in 23 years at the end of 2021/22 season.

His notable performance came at the City Ground against the then-title chasers Arsenal, where he notched up the only goal for Forest in a 1-0 victory over the London club, which confirmed their Premier League status for another year.

Awoniyi has picked up from where he left off last campaign, netting two goals in two league games this new season, and his manager has set a fresh challenge for him to better his 11 goals return in all competitions for the club last term, hoping that the 26-year old might be able to get near 20 goals this campaign.

I hope he can, Cooper said. That would be nice! He scored a lot of goals at Union Berlin. That’s the hope. That’s the plan. That’s the challenge for him. That’s the challenge for us coaches, to push him, Cooper said in a press conference, as quoted by nottinghamshirelive 

He continued:

There’s a lot of individual work going on with him and all the other guys, because that’s a big part of our work. What’s a great honor about T is he wants to work, he wants to challenge and he wants to push.

He needs a bit of luck with injuries and availability. I hope he gets it.

Let’s hope he can reach that mark. But it will only be if he continues to do what he’s been doing every day – and I don’t just mean in games, I mean his attitude to work at the training ground, both on and off the pitch.

He added: He’s been brilliant since he returned from that harsh injury he picked up against Southampton last year. He’s also had a stop-start preseason. 

He’s not really match-fit – same with Brennan Johnson. So to show the level of performance he is – and not just in games but in training as well – he is really looking like a real handful. Hopefully that can continue.

He’s really a humble guy who just wants to work hard and play for the team. His wife had a baby while we were playing Arsenal, so I’m really pleased they had an amazing week, the Welsh manager concluded

After netting in his last six Premier League appearances, Awoniyi will aim to equal Mohammed Salah and Emmanuel Adebayor’s record for the longest streak by an African player when Forest face Manchester United at Old Trafford on Saturday.

Super Eagles defender Ola Aina has expressed excitement at the prospect of playing in front of Nottingham Forest at the City Ground Stadium, Soccernet reports.

Aina joined the Tricky Trees this summer in a free transfer following the expiration of his contract at Serie A club Torino.

The 26-year-old fullback made his competitive debut for the club last weekend in their Premier League opener against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.

This weekend, Nottingham Forest will play newly-promoted Sheffield United at the City Ground Stadium, and Aina is looking forward to it.

“I’ve heard a lot about the Nottingham Forest fans, and I can’t wait just to be in that situation. Just to hear and feel the energy in the Cith Ground,” Aina said per Jamie Martin.

Aina was impressive on his debut against the Gunners. He did a good job restricting Bukayo Saka from getting so much joy in the attack.

Last season, Nottingham Forest won their first home game of the season, and Aina would be looking to help his side get their first points of the season this weekend.