Nottingham Forest head coach Steve Cooper hailed Ola Aina after seeing his team defeated 1-0 by PSV. The Reds lost courtesy of a wonderful goal by Johan Bakayoko in the second half.
The game saw Aina play for Forest for the first time. He started the contest at left-back, making his first outing for the club since checking in on a free transfer earlier this month.
A Nigerian international, Aina had been with Torino before signing for Forest. He made 113 appearances for the Serie A outfit and provides any squad he finds himself in with versatility.
Aina gave a good account of himself last night. He found himself up against the impressive Bakayoko and it wasn’t until the Forest man with withdrawn that he started to have real success.
The 26-year-old looks like he could be a very decent addition for the Reds. His versatility will certainly help across a long season and Cooper was impressed with the player last night.
He told Forest TV: “The more players start and the more we can have available for games then the better so it was really important to get Ola on the pitch.
“I thought he was excellent by the way, some really good moments and Morgan as well to get back into the speed of things in the first half. Tired a little bit in the second half but that’s pretty normal.”
Forest boss Cooper praises Aina after PSV test
The player did show some very smart touches during his opening 45 minutes in a Forest shirt. He will hope to quickly get some match sharpness into his legs but it’s fair to say that he will do that as the games continue to come.
Forest don’t have a left-back right now. As a result, Aina might be the player that Cooper decides to turn to for the season-opener at Arsenal; especially if they continue to be left frustrated when it comes to new signings.
Aina was a free transfer and the first of the summer for Forest. Still, he does look as though he can offer something to the team and it will be interesting to see what sort of role he plays for the Reds during 2023/24.
