After being left out of the AFCON 2019 squad by former Super Eagles coach Gernot Rohr, Taiwo Awoniyi will again miss AFCON 2023 in Cote d’Ivoire next year after undergoing a groin surgery that will rule out for months.
The Nigerian ace has been the main striker for Nottingham Forest this season having scored four goals in 11 appearances this season and has been a key player under boss Steve Cooper, has been managing the problem since first suffering it in October.
He played for Nigeria in their draw with Lesotho but withdrew from the squad and has now gone under the knife.
Cooper said at a press conference ahead of the EPL match with Brighton: “It’s bad news on Taiwo, he’s had to have surgery and he is going to be out for months.
“We’ll support him and try to get him back as quick and as fit as he can be, but it’s a really unfortunate situation and a blow for him.
“He’s become an important player for us with the goals he’s scored and the goals he will score for us, but he’s such a good guy and a good professional who is desperate to do well, so to get an injury like this is harsh on him.
“We’ve got to support him through the process of coming back stronger. He’s done that once before here and I’m sure he will give everything again like he did last time.
“You think about how well he did when he returned last season, I’m sure that’s given him a good reference point to come back to.
“We’ll definitely see him again this season, but it’s groin surgery so it will take a little while.”