Nottingham Forest boss provides fitness update on Ola Aina after omission from Nigeria squad

A day after Ola Aina's omission from the latest Nigeria squad, Nottingham Forest manager Vítor Pereira has revealed that the fullback has returned to pitch training.

Eric Chelle left the defender out of Nigeria's Unity Cup squad as well as the roster for the upcoming international friendlies against Poland and Portugal.

The Chelsea academy graduate has been sidelined for the past three weeks after sustaining an injury during Nottingham Forest's Europa League semifinal first leg with Aston Villa at the City Ground.

Due to the setback, Ola Aina has missed Forest's last four matches in all competitions, including Premier League fixtures against Chelsea, Newcastle United and Manchester United, as well as the Europa League return leg at Villa Park.

With Nottingham Forest's Premier League status already secured, Pereira has emphasised that the club is unwilling to take unnecessary risks by rushing players back to action at this stage of the season.

The Portuguese tactician said at Thursday's press conference: "Murillo stays without training with the team. Ola (Aina) started today on the pitch.

"I think Dan (Ndoye) has worked two times with the team, but we will see. I think that is all.

"We are in a moment of the season where we can’t take risks because this is a game we want to win. It’s not a final or a game to decide big things."

Aina has not been called up to the Super Eagles since suffering a hamstring injury during Nigeria's 2026 World Cup qualifier against South Africa last September.

Overall, the fullback has missed the last fourteen matches played by the three-time African champions.