Nottingham Forest striker Taiwo Awoniyi is in an induced coma after having the first phase of surgery on a serious abdominal injury.

The Nigeria international, 27, collided with the post in the 88th minute of the 2-2 draw against Leicester at the City Ground on Sunday as he attempted to get on the end of a cross from Anthony Elanga.

He had surgery on Monday night and remains in hospital, with the rest of the procedure set to be completed on Wednesday.

In a statement earlier on Tuesday, Forest said Awoniyi was “recovering well” following the operation.

After the incident on Sunday, he received treatment on the pitch and was able to continue but was visibly struggling when the match restarted.

Awoniyi, who joined Forest from Union Berlin in June 2022, had only been on the pitch for five minutes, having come on as a late substitute for Ibrahim Sangare.

Owner Evangelos Marinakis took to the field after the game to express his concern to manager Nuno Espirito Santo over how Awoniyi’s injury was handled.

Marinakis is being kept updated on the forward’s condition.

On Tuesday, Forest said that Awoniyi’s injury was “a powerful reminder of the physical risks in the game and why a player’s health and wellbeing must always come first”.