Super Eagles fullback Ola Aina is poised to make his long-awaited return to Premier League action on Wednesday when Nottingham Forest travel to Birmingham to face Aston Villa at Villa Park.
The Nigerian defender has been sidelined since September after undergoing surgery on a hamstring injury sustained while on international duty. Aina picked up the injury just 10 minutes into Nigeria’s World Cup qualifier against South Africa on September 9 and was forced off immediately.
He returned to England straight after the match, where Nottingham Forest sanctioned surgery two days later.
The setback ruled Aina out for the final quarter of the 2025 league season and also cost him a place in Nigeria’s Africa Cup of Nations squad currently competing in Morocco.
Forest, however, adopted a carefully managed rehabilitation programme, combining physiotherapy with a gradual return to match fitness.
After being unregistered from the club’s Premier League and Europa League squads following the injury, Aina has spent recent weeks rebuilding sharpness with Forest’s B team.
He featured in two matches against Wolves U21s and Millwall U21s, clocking a combined 153 minutes as he pushed for first-team reintegration.
With the January registration window now open, Forest manager Sean Dyche has confirmed that Aina is back in contention for the trip to Aston Villa, providing a timely boost to his squad.
“Ola comes back into the group now, which is good,” Dyche said. “He’s in contention, he’s back in the group. His injury is fine, he feels fine.”
While it remains unclear whether Aina will start or be eased back via the bench, his availability marks a significant milestone after months of recovery and offers Nottingham Forest renewed defensive depth as the Premier League campaign gathers momentum.
