Nottingham Forest began their long-awaited return to European football on Wednesday night without Ola Aina, who has been removed from the club’s Europa League squad following injury.
The Nigerian full-back suffered a hamstring problem while on international duty, and Forest confirmed he will be sidelined for several months.
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The setback triggered UEFA’s revised rule, which allows clubs to temporarily replace players ruled out for at least 60 days up to matchday six in December.
However, once replaced, injured players cannot return for the group stage, even if they recover earlier.
Forest are back in European competition for the first time since 1995 and opened their campaign with 2-2 away to face Real Betis.
The absence of Aina, one of last season’s most consistent performers, has been softened by the addition of Oleksandr Zinchenko, who joins Neco Williams as an option in the full-back positions.
Speaking ahead of the tie, head coach Ange Postecoglou admitted Aina’s absence was a blow but refused to criticise Nigeria for the injury.
“I’m a big fan of representative football,” Postecoglou said. “Clubs sometimes pay the price with injuries, but playing internationally helps players grow in ways domestic football alone cannot.”
Aina recently signed a new three-year deal at the City Ground and has already undergone surgery.
The 28-year-old is expected to miss up to three months of action, making his chances of featuring again this year slim. He has assured fans he will “come back stronger.”
Forest’s group stage will also see them face Porto, Ferencváros, Midtjylland, and Malmö — a historic rematch of the 1979 European Cup final
