Striker Taiwo Awoniyi is “looking sharp” as he edges towards his Nottingham Forest comeback.
The 25-year-old has been sidelined with a groin problem for almost three months, having been forced off in the Reds’ 1-0 victory at Southampton in January. He is now back in full training, which comes as a welcome boost for head coach Steve Cooper as the Welshman continues to deal with a significant number of absentees.
The latest name added to the injury list is front man Chris Wood, who has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a thigh issue. That makes Awoniyi’s progress particularly well-timed, especially as Andre Ayew and Brennan Johnson are both doubts for Saturday’s clash with Wolverhampton Wanderers.
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Awoniyi had been stopped in his tracks by injury just as he had found form following his summer move to the City Ground. Cooper is hopeful the forward will be able to pick up from where he left off, however.
“He would have been key anyway, regardless of the injury to Chris Wood,” said the Forest boss. “The injury came at a time where he was really starting to show his worth; he was in a real good run of form, in terms of performances.
“I remember he scored against Southampton in the game he got injured. He’d worked really hard through the World Cup break and had come back during that preparation phase for the return in good shape. We’d then seen that when we started playing again, so the injury didn’t come at a good time at all.
“But he’s back now. He looks sharp. He definitely looks motivated and excited to be involved again.
“We look forward to reintroducing him, whenever that may be. We obviously have to be careful with him, because he’s been out for a long while; we have to respect that. It’s just good to have him back on the training ground.”
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