Nigeria and Nottingham Forest have suffered a major setback as defender Ola Aina has been ruled out for three months with a hamstring injury.
The Chelsea academy graduate pulled up just ten minutes into Tuesday’s 2026 World Cup qualifier against South Africa in Bloemfontein and was replaced by Bright Osayi-Samuel.
Concerns had been raised about the poor state of the Free State Stadium pitch before kickoff, and the surface may have contributed to Aina’s withdrawal.
Scans carried out in England later confirmed the initial fears. According to The Telegraph UK, the versatile fullback will not return before December 2025 if his recovery goes according to plan.
Aina has been a key figure for club and country in recent months, starting three Premier League games for Nottingham Forest this season and four of Nigeria’s World Cup qualifiers.
His absence is a huge blow for the Super Eagles ahead of October’s matches against Lesotho and Benin and the November friendly against Venezuela.
The 28-year-old now faces a race to regain fitness before the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, which begins on December 21, 2025.
Adding to the setback, Nottingham Forest have omitted Aina from their Premier League squad list. His place went to striker Taiwo Awoniyi, whose proposed deadline-day move from the City Ground collapsed.
As a result, Aina will not feature in the Premier League again until the January transfer window reopens.
