Nuno Espirito Santo has confirmed that Taiwo Awoniyi sustained a concussion and a broken nose during Nottingham Forest’s shootout victory over Exeter on Tuesday. According to the Daily Mail, the Nigerian striker required over 10 minutes of treatment before being stretchered off the pitch after colliding with Exeter goalkeeper Joe Whitworth’s elbow towards the end of the FA Cup fourth-round tie.
Despite initial concerns about the severity of his condition, Santo revealed that Awoniyi, who had scored earlier in the match, would travel back to the Midlands with the rest of the squad. “He had a concussion and I think he broke his nose, so a lot of pain, but he has a smile on his face because he did an amazing job. We are delighted with him,” Santo said.
Forest faced a significant challenge in Devon, with the match ending 2-2 and going to penalties. Santo faced potential criticism for making 10 changes to his side but defended his decision.
He explained, “It’s not about resting players; it’s about how we are approaching the competition. We did the same at Luton, and we’ll probably do the same again because, unfortunately, we cannot give minutes to all the players. This is a reward for all the players who worked so hard, especially the young boys. It’s good for us.”
Santo, whose team will face Ipswich in the fifth round, added, “The FA Cup is very tough, and just look at the draws that came. A lot of surprises will happen. We just have to do our job. It’s going to be at the City Ground, and we’re going to be ready.”