Nottingham Forest stars pay tribute to Taiwo Awoniyi as Nuno Espirito Santo’s side return to the pitch for the first time since star was put in an induced coma

Nottingham Forest’s players paid tribute to Taiwo Awoniyi during warm-up drills ahead of their clash against West Ham on Sunday.

Awoniyi was put in an induced coma earlier this week, and is recovering well after undergoing urgent surgery to repair a ruptured intestine, which could have been life-threating.

The striker crashed into a post during Forest’s 2-2 draw with Leicester last week and, following several minutes of treatment, returned to action before being taken off.

Awoniyi could not be substituted because Forest had used their last available switch to replace Elliot Anderson with Jota Silva. The forward tried to carry on, but was unable to move properly as Forest chased a late winner.

Nuno Espirito Santo revealed before Sunday’s game that Awoniyi will remain in hospital for at least a few more days, meaning he was unable to journey to east London in support of his team-mates.

But that didn’t stop Forest’s players from paying respect to their colleague. 

The striker is currently in hospital recovering after he had surgery to repair a ruptured intestine

Forest’s players donned Awoniyi’s name and number on the back of their warmup shirts, with a heartfelt message on the front

The squad warmed up in blank white shirts, with the words, ‘We’re all with you Taiwo’ on the front, and Awoniyi’s name and No 9 on the back.

In Awoniyi’s late absence against Leicester, Forest were left to play the last few minutes with 10 men, which led to owner appeared Evangelos Marinakis taking issue with Nuno at full-time.

Forest released a statement after the fact, clarifying that ‘there was no confrontation’ between their owner and manager, but a ‘shared frustration that the medical team should never have allowed the player to continue’. 

Ahead of Sunday’s game, Awoniyi broke his silence on his injury in an uplifting statement, where wished his team-mates well for their final two games of the season.

The Nigerian frontman wrote: ‘This season has been one of the most difficult of my career but through it all, I have felt the love. With the grace of God, I am grateful to still be here, to still be fighting, to still be smiling, and to be in good spirits.

‘To my teammates, coaches, staff and the entire Forest family, thank you for your well wishes, seeing you all on your visit to the hospital lifted my spirits more than words can say. Wishing the boys the very best in these last two games, keep believing and keep pushing. I’m with you all the way and I can’t wait to be back out there with the boys doing what I love.

‘To my family, friends and football fans, thank you for the support, and to everyone back home in Nigeria who has checked in on me, prayed for me and left kind words, thank you. I see them. I feel them. And I carry them with me every day as I recover. Come on you Reds.’