Nottingham Forest manager, Olivier Glasner, has explained why he deployed Ola Aina as a centre-back during their win over Aston Villa on Saturday afternoon.
The Nigerian international played as the left-sided centre-back in a back three, contributing to Forest’s hard-fought 2-1 triumph over Villa at Villa Park.
The victory represented Forest’s first Premier League win of the season under their new manager.
In his post-match comments, Glasner clarified that the decision to position Aina in the unfamiliar role was made after he received updates regarding injuries sustained by the two central defenders.
“Given the circumstances we faced yesterday, I received the results of the scans in the evening, and suddenly both centre-backs were unavailable to play,” Glasner told Forest TV.
The former Crystal Palace manager mentioned that he subsequently approached Aina to inquire if he felt capable of adapting to the role, to which the Nigerian confidently affirmed his ability.
“I knocked on the doors of Ola Aina and Ousmane Diomande and informed them that they would be starting tomorrow in a back three,” he added.
“Particularly with Ola, I needed to ask him if he could envision this working, and he assured me he could, which I already knew. There are numerous challenges we must overcome today, which is why I am extremely proud of the performance and the victory,” Glasner concluded.
Throughout the match, Aina showcased an impressive performance in his new centre-back position, making three tackles, one interception, four clearances and two recoveries.