Ola Aina: Will Forest defender play against Arsenal after Super Eagles injury?

Nottingham Forest will face Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium this weekend, and they will be sweating over the fitness over key defender Ola Aina

Ange Postecoglou is facing a major injury headache at Nottingham Forest even before his first game in charge against Arsenal.

Facing the Gunners is already a difficult task, but it has been made even tougher by the likely absence of one of the team's most consistent players, Ola Aina.

Aina, a key figure for Forest this season, played every minute of their games against Brentford, Crystal Palace, and West Ham.

However, he was forced off with an injury just 10 minutes into Nigeria's clash with South Africa on Tuesday, having played 87 minutes in a match against Rwanda just days earlier.

The injury could sideline the 28-year-old, who recently signed a new three-year deal to continue at City Ground for the foreseeable future.

If Aina is unavailable, Postecoglou could be forced into an early tactical reshuffle.

Options at right-back include Neco Williams, while the untested Nicolo Savona might have to step in at left-back, especially since new loanee Oleksandr Zinchenko is ineligible to play against his parent club.

Aina was one of the best performers in the Premier League last season, and Forest will be keen to have their key player back as soon as possible.