Nottingham Forest striker Taiwo Awoniyi has been brought out of an induced coma as he continues his recovery from emergency surgery following a serious injury suffered in the 2-2 draw with Leicester City.
Awoniyi sustained a ruptured intestine after colliding with the post late in the match. Despite the severity of the incident, he attempted to continue playing as manager Nuno Espirito Santo had already used all his substitutions.
To aid his recovery, Awoniyi was placed in a medically induced coma. According to the Daily Mail, he was successfully woken on Wednesday evening following the second phase of his surgery.
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The incident has reignited debate around the Premier League’s offside protocol. Current guidelines instruct assistant referees to delay raising their flags for potential offsides until a play concludes, allowing VAR to intervene if necessary. Critics have warned that this approach increases the risk of preventable injuries.
In this case, Anthony Elanga appeared clearly offside in the build-up to the play. However, with no flag raised, the action continued, ultimately leading to Awoniyi’s dangerous collision.
“Anthony was miles offside,” said Forest defender Ola Aina. “The whole world could see it. From where I was standing, it was obvious. You just think ‘offside’ straight away. Why not just lift the flag?
“I preferred how it was back in the day when offsides were flagged immediately. It was simple, and we just got on with it.
“None of this would’ve happened to T if the flag had gone up. It’s horrible seeing someone you’re so close with go through something like this. He’s more than a teammate — he’s our brother.”
Aina added: “We’ve all been sending him messages and praying things go smoothly. Hopefully, we’ll hear from him soon.”
Forest and the footballing world continue to rally around Awoniyi as he begins his road to recovery.
