Ola Aina Marks Forest Return on Difficult Afternoon at Villa Park

Ola Aina made his long-awaited return to action for Nottingham Forest, ending a spell on the sidelines that stretched back to September.

The Nigeria defender was named in the starting lineup against Aston Villa, but his comeback came on a tough afternoon for Forest at Villa Park.

Ola Aina returns to Forest after injury layoff

Aina featured for the first time since suffering a hamstring injury while on international duty with Nigeria in September 2025.

His previous Premier League outing for Nottingham Forest had come on August 31, in a 3–0 loss to West Ham.

The 29-year-old resumed full training in November, though head coach Sean Dyche chose a cautious approach before reintroducing him to competitive action.

The injury also ruled Aina out of the ongoing 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, where the Super Eagles have now reached the knockout stage.

Having made only three league appearances earlier in the campaign, the full-back earned his fourth of the season against Villa, starting on the right side of Forest’s defence.

Aina endures tough comeback as Forest fall at Villa Park

Ola Aina played 69 minutes before being withdrawn for Nicolo Savona, with Forest already trailing 2–1 at the time. The match ended 3–1 to Villa, pushing them up to second place in the table.

The defeat leaves Nottingham Forest in 18th position, with their league standing dependent on the outcome of the West Ham vs Wolves fixture.

Forest have now lost four of their last five matches, their only recent victory coming against Tottenham Hotspur.