Ola Aina set for Nottingham Forest return against Aston Villa

Nigeria international defender Ola Aina has been included in Nottingham Forest’s squad for their English Premier League clash against Aston Villa following a long injury layoff.

This was confirmed by the Forest head coach Sean Dyche during his pre-match press conference.

The 29-year-old sustained a hamstring injury during Nigeria’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Bafana Bafana of South Africa in September and has been out of action since.

While speaking ahead of the Villa clash, Dyche confirmed that the Nigerian full-back is fit and has returned to full training with the squad.

“Obviously Ola (Aina) comes back into the group, which is good.

He has put a lot of miles on the clock (on the training ground), not so many game hours, because of the situation. But his injury is fine, he feels fine, he is back into the group.”

The injury unfortunately forced the defender to miss the ongoing 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco. Having made only three league appearances for the “Tricky Trees” this season, Aina is now poised to make his long-awaited return to the pitch.