Aina out for Postecoglou's Arsenal debut with hamstring injury

Nottingham Forest will begin Ange Postecoglou's tenure without rightback Ola Aina after the 28 year old suffered a significant hamstring injury while on international duty with Nigeria, forcing him off after about 10 minutes of the World Cup qualifier against South Africa. The injury was confirmed during the international break and comes ahead of Forest's trip to Arsenal at the Emirates, scheduled for Saturday, September 13, in Postecoglou's first match in charge.

Scans on Aina have produced differing timetables for his return. Some reports say the injury could keep him out until December, a period of roughly three months, while others, citing comments attributed to Postecoglou, indicate the player will be unavailable until at least the new year. The club has reportedly moved to adjust its Premier League squad registration by removing Aina and adding forward Taiwo Awoniyi, according to broadcast reports of the registration list. Forest have not issued a detailed medical bulletin to reconcile the varying timelines.

Aina was a near ever present last season, starting all but three Premier League fixtures as Forest secured a surprise seventh place under Nuno Espirito Santo, and he...