Nottingham Forest have been dealt a significant injury blow, with striker and leading scorer Taiwo Awoniyi ruled out for months after having groin surgery.
Awoniyi first suffered the injury in October and aggravated it while on international duty with Nigeria, forcing him to withdraw from their squad last week.
See: Club-by-club player injury list
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"It's bad news on Taiwo, he's had to have surgery and he is going to be out for months," Forest head coach Steve Cooper said on the club's official website ahead of their match at home to Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday.
"We've got to support him through the process of coming back stronger.
"He's done that once before here and I'm sure he will give everything again like he did last time.
"You think about how well he did when he returned last season, I'm sure that's given him a good reference point to come back to.
"We'll definitely see him again this season, but it's groin surgery, so it will take a little while."
Awoniyi has been a key figure since joining Forest in June 2022, scoring 14 goals in 37 Premier League appearances.
He enjoyed a rich vein of form at the end of last season, scoring in four straight matches as Forest secured Premier League safety in their first season back in the top flight after a 23-year exile.
At the start of this season, Awoniyi struck in the first three matches to surpass Stan Collymore as the first player in the club's history to score in seven consecutive Premier League fixtures.
Awoniyi is also only the third African to achieve that feat, after Mohamed Salah and Emmanuel Adebayor.
Forest's leading scorers in 2023/24
| Player | Goals |
|---|---|
| Taiwo Awoniyi | 4 |
| Chris Wood | 3 |
| Anthony Elanga | 2 |
| Ola Aina, Nicolas Dominguez, Willy Boly, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Orel Mangala | 1 |
Cooper is now likely to call upon Chris Wood or Divock Origi as Forest's centre-forward as they aim to extend their unbeaten home run in the league to nine matches against the Seagulls.
Forest currently sit 14th in the table on 13 points, three adrift of Chelsea in 10th and eight clear of the relegation zone.