Nottingham Forest striker Taiwo Awoniyi has woken up from an induced coma after undergoing emergency surgery, BBC reports.
The 27-year-old, who has been linked with a summer exit, had to go under the knife for a serious abdominal injury that left medical staff fearing the worst.
Awoniyi was initially placed in an induced coma after the operation, but he has now regained consciousness and is recovering well.
He will be kept under close observation in the hospital and is surrounded by his family.
The injury occurred during Sunday’s 2-2 Premier League draw with Leicester City when Awoniyi clattered into the woodwork while chasing a cross from teammate Anthony Elanga.
He was in visible pain and received on-field treatment for several minutes, only to return to action before he was eventually taken off.
His setback came when Forest had already used all of their permitted changes and were forced to see out the game with ten men.
Further assessments on Monday confirmed the severity of the injury, so Awoniyi was rushed to the hospital afterwards.
He was receiving intensive care on Wednesday night after surgeons had started what was widely described as a complex operation.
Despite Awoniyi’s injury, it was Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis who stole the spotlight at the end of the game.
He rushed onto the pitch at full-time and appeared to express his frustration towards manager Nuno Espirito Santo.
Marinakis’s antics didn’t go down well, but the club released a strong statement to clarify the situation.
The statement claimed that Marinakis’ actions were not confrontational, but rather driven by genuine concern for Awoniyi’s wellbeing.
Marinakis was reportedly frustrated that the medical staff allowed Awoniyi to continue playing despite clearly being in pain.
Meanwhile, the incident has reignited debate over the offside rule. Elanga, whose cross led to the serious collision, was clearly in an offside position.
However, play was allowed to continue with assistant referees asked to delay raising the flag when there may be a goalscoring opportunity.
That debate will continue, but the focus is on Awoniyi’s recovery.
