Nottingham Forest forward Taiwo Awoniyi has been taken to hospital to undergo urgent abdominal surgery, it has been reported.
Awoniyi picked up an injury during Forest’s 2-2 draw at home to Leicester which was marred by Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis’ furious on-pitch meltdown at manager Nuno Espirito Santo just after full time.
The Nigeria international received treatment during the closing stages of the match but made his way back onto the pitch as Forest searched for a winner.
Awoniyi, who came on in the 84th minute, completed the game despite looking in huge discomfort and Sky Sports reports that his injury is much worse than initially thought.
The report adds that Awoiniyi was taken to hospital on Monday evening for urgent abdominal surgery after complications were discovered by club medical staff.
Marinakis revealed after the game that the decision not to substitute Awoniyi was the reason for his outrage.
“Today is a day for celebration because after 30 years Nottingham Forest is guaranteed to be competing on the European stage once again, a promise I made to our supporters when we achieved promotion!” Marinakis said in a statement.
“With two more games to go in the Premier League, we must keep believing and keep dreaming, right to the final kick of the game.
“We are extremely proud of and close to Nuno and the team, and we must celebrate the historic achievements of this season.
“Everybody – coaching staff, players, supporters and including myself – we were frustrated around the injury of Taiwo and the medical staff’s misjudgement on Taiwo’s ability to continue the game.
“This is natural, this is a demonstration of the passion we feel for our club.”
Forest’s draw to their already relegated rivals secured European football at the City Ground for the first time in 29 years.
However, it’s viewed as a disappointing result because it leaves them in seventh spot and thus with an outside chance of qualifying for next season’s Champions League.
The two-time European champions, who only earned promotion back to the Premier League in 2022, spent much of the season in the Champions League box seat.
However, a run of just one win in six league outings has seen Forest slip out of the Champions League spots.
With two league matches remaining, Forest are a point behind Chelsea, who occupy the final Champions League spot as they lie fifth in the Premier League table.
Marinakis’ outburst sparked huge outrage, with new footage also showing him kick a bucket in anger after he berated Nuno.
The Greek businessman’s actions left Manchester United legend Gary Neville raging as he urged Nuno to resign from his post as manager.
Neville said: “Scandalous from that Forest owner. Nuno should go and negotiate his exit tonight with him! The Forest fans, players and manager do not deserve that.”
Although Nuno laughed off any suggestion that he’d heed Neville’s advice, as he responded: “It is because of the owner and his passion that we are growing as a club.
“He pushes us. He wants us to be better.
“It is his passion and desire to be a big club – 30,000 people felt the same today. For sure, many of them would go on the pitch and shake us down.
“Us as a club, we owe a lot to the Marinakis family.
“I am not going to comment too much. I have huge respect for Gary Neville, he is the coach who replaced me when I was sacked at Valencia. So he was a coach himself.
“He knows what it is like to be on the touchline. All the rest, please allow me…I do not want to proceed about (talk of) the future.”
Asked whether he was comfortable being spoken to in such a way in a public arena, Nuno added: “I have been in football so many years as a player and as a coach.
“It is the passion and desire. The players feel it, we feel it and the fans feel it. We have to do better.”
Forest’s next outing sees them travel to West Ham on Sunday before they face Chelsea at the City Ground on the final day.
