Awoniyi close to return — Nuno

Nottingham Forest’s battle for survival is threatening to go down to the wire as Nuno Espirito Santo’s side prepare for a crunch clash this weekend.

The Reds have five games left to beat the drop, starting with a trip to face relegation rivals Everton on Sunday. They will go into that match at Goodison Park on the back of a frustrating 2-2 draw at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Nuno will face some big decisions when it comes to his team selection against the Toffees with key stars Taiwo Awoniyi, Anthony Elanga and Willy Boly all out injured.

Nigerian striker Awoniyi, who is out with a thigh injury, has already missed a chunk of the season after sustaining a groin surgery in a bid to solve a longstanding problem

He made his comeback in January but Nuno had talked about managing him carefully as he struggled to return to full sharpness.

He suffered a problem in the build-up to the draw with Luton Town, which was due to rule him out for a few weeks. The initial diagnosis suggested it was difficult to put an exact timeframe on how long he could be out for, but it was believed he could be absent from anywhere between two to five weeks.

He underwent a scan last week, which Forest hoped would provide clarity on when the striker could return.

However, Nuno remains optimistic his star striker will still have a part to play in the run-in.

“He is starting his individual programme,” Nuno said last Thursday. “I don’t have an exact timeline for when he is going to return but it is closer. Hopefully he can still help us this season.”