Ola Aina gets average rating on comeback for Forest
It was not a disappointing return for Super Eagles and Nottingham Forest defender, Ola Aina on his return to football action after staying for almost three months in the sidelines due to injury.
Ola Aina gets average rating on comeback for Forest
It was not a disappointing return for Super Eagles and Nottingham Forest defender, Ola Aina on his return to football action after staying for almost three months in the sidelines due to injury.
Aina has been sidelined with a serious hamstring injury he sustained during Nigeria's World Cup qualifier against South Africa on September 9, 2025.
The severity of the injury required him to undergo surgery, which resulted in a lengthy period of rehabilitation. As such, he was excluded from the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco by coach Eric Chelle.
But a soothing message came from Nottingham Forest manager, Sean Dyche during the week that the Nigeria had been passed fit to play yesterday's Premier League match against Aston Villa.
Before he was substituted by Nicolo Savona in the 69th minute, Aina performance was enough to earn him a 5/10, an average rating for a player coming from a long injury layoff.
His return proved huge for Forest to have the full-back available again - they are going to need his experience for the tough road ahead. A decent first run-out for the first-team since September, although little surprise he made way with 20 to go.
After 127 days away from competitive football, the Nigerian international was thrust straight back into Sean Dyche's starting XI, tasked with providing stability to a backline that has conceded freely during his absence.
Instead, it became a sobering reminder of the chasm between training ground fitness and Premier League intensity.
Villa, seeking redemption after their Arsenal defeat, dominated from the outset. From Aina's position at right-back, the threat was immediate and sustained.
For Aina, watching from a stretched defensive line, it was devastating, the kind of goal that exposes fragility at the worst possible moment. If the first-half concession was painful, what followed four minutes after the interval was catastrophic.
Aina, attempting to track runners while managing his own physical limitations, could only watch as the ball nestled into the net.
When Dyche withdrew Aina, the substitution acknowledged both his physical condition and Forest's need for something different.
As Aina walked to the touchline, he could feel the weight of four months away. His legs were heavy, reactions fractionally slower, concentration requiring active maintenance. The 153 minutes in Under-21 matches had proven woefully inadequate preparation for Villa's intensity.
Aina's comeback exposed the harsh reality of rejoining a team in freefall. Without time to ease back through victories or solid draws, every misplaced pass and mistimed challenge carried added weight.