Ange Postecoglou already handed nightmare Nottingham Forest scenario after Ola Aina injury
Ange Postecoglou has already been given a major headache as Nottingham Forest boss before his first game in charge.
Forest will face Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium after the international break, and they will be led into battle by Postecoglou, months after being sacked from his role at Tottenham.
His record against Mikel Arteta‘s Gunners speaks for itself, and with those at the City Ground certainly listening, they will not be looking forward to their trip to London on Saturday, 13 September.
Nuno Espirito Santo was sacked after a successful 2024-25 campaign, but even he struggled against Arsenal in a season where he led the Tricky Trees to seventh in the Premier League table.
Now, an almost impossible task has been made that much more difficult for the new manager.
Ola Aina suffers crushing injury on international duty
Ola Aina played 87 minutes against Rwanda on Saturday, 6 September, but just 10 minutes into Nigeria’s clash with South Africa, the full-back was forced off with an injury and needed to be replaced.
Forest fans are extremely concerned by Aina’s injury, suggesting that Postecoglou’s awful injury record has followed him to the City Ground from his two seasons with the Lilywhites.
And with the Reds likely needing a fully-strength team to face the Gunners, a long-term injury would be a heavy blow to the Australian’s first few days along the River Trent.
The ideal replacement would be new signing Oleksandr Zinchenko, who arrived on transfer deadline day, but due to being on loan from Arsenal, he will not be eligible to face his parent club.
Who could start for Nottingham Forest at right-back?
The obvious choice would be to move Neco Williams across to right-back. But who fills his position on the opposite side? Nicolo Savona could slot right in, but his availability is unknown.
Signing from Juventus in the summer, the Italy international arrived with a known injury, and it remains unclear if he will be fit enough to feature from the off at the Emirates.
Beyond the aforementioned duo, Morato has proved to be a liability in a high line, which Postecoglou is likely to deploy, while 19-year-old Zach Abbott struggled when facing Man City in the FA Cup.
Postecoglou has been left with a massive problem to solve, and with just four days remaining until Arsenal and Forest meet in North London, there is very little time to find a solution.