Nottingham Forest have been dealt with an injury setback as Taiwo Awoniyi is expected to be on the sidelines for longer than expected.
The Nigerian forward was substituted with 20 minutes to go against Southampton on 4 January, a game in which he scored the winner. Afterwards he said that he felt "soreness in the groin", but added that he was fine.
Awoniyi has not been included in a matchday squad in the fortnight since then, however, with fears over the extent of his injury growing in that time. It now appears that he may not feature for the Reds for a while.
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Foot Mercato journalist Santi Aouna reports that the 25-year-old will be out of action "for some months". It's a major blow that will see Forest lose their joint-top goalscorer in the Premier League for a crucial part of the season.
Manager Steve Cooper had been hopeful Awoniyi would be involved on Saturday against Leicester City, saying: “We are hopeful he will be alright. It is not guaranteed but we are working hard on it. We will see.” Forest won 2-0 thanks to a Brennan Johnson brace.
With Emmanuel Dennis set to move on this month and Sam Surridge linked with a move to the Championship, the club need to bring a new striker into the club. They have been linked with a move for Atalanta forward Duvan Zapata, who has scored 78 goals in 168 appearances for the Serie A outfit.
The first team has been hit by a string of injuries that threaten to derail their campaign. Dean Henderson (thigh), Willy Boly (ankle), Jesse Lingard (hamstring), Cheikhou Kouyate (hamstring), Moussa Niakhate (hamstring), Omar Richards (leg), and Giulian Biancone (ACL) are all on the sidelines.
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