Nottingham Forest striker Taiwo Awoniyi returned to a good coma in the hospital after an emergency abdominal surgery.
The Forest striker broke his gut after colliding with the goal post in a 2-2 battle with Leicester on Sunday.
Awoniyi received a long treatment after her injury, but despite feeling obvious discomfort, she then tried to continue the game.
He was taken to the hospital Monday night after further investigation by Forest medical staff revealed how serious his condition was.
The striker then worsened, which led to his surgery on Monday, after which he was unconscious to help limit his movements and regulate his heart rate.
“He went to the surgery and the surgery went well, thank God,” coach Nuno Espirito Santo said in a press conference before the Forest went to West Ham on Sunday.
"He is observing now. He is recovering. We still have to wait for the doctor to allow the visit. His family is there. We are worried, but we are positive.
"It's very difficult for us and everyone. The concerns about the hurt he suffered, the situation he's experienced. It's very difficult for us."
The club was told that Awoniyi would stay for at least five days, and at the hospital, Nuno hopes he can return to the training ground to see the players and staff of the forest.
"The information we have is that he has to be in observation for at least five days (checked) everything goes well," he added.
“I will visit him as soon as possible, but he has the right hands and his family is there, and that’s what he really needs, and it’s his family’s support.
“The players kept chatting with the group. We knew he was good, he just needed time.
"I hope he's joining us next week and being around. He's a great boy. This season has been so tough for him, and we're sorry."
Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis came on the court to talk to Nuno after the Leicester match, and the club later explained that it was because of frustration with Awoniyi being allowed to play.
Forest said in a strong statement: “The fact is that there is no confrontation with Nuno or anyone else, either on the court or in the stadium.
“There is only a common sense of frustration between us and the medical team should never let the players continue.”
Offside controversy surrounding Awoniyi
The Awoniyi incident reignited the debate over the offside rules of football as Anthony Elanga provided a pass for the Forest striker’s efforts to reach post-posts – apparently offside, but not marked to stop the game.
Assistant referee Sian Massey-Ellis retained her flag due to an IFAB rule that states that delays the flag is Only allowable in very clear offenses if the player is about to score or score/definitely scored into the opponent's free throw area.
PGMOL - responsible for the referee law in the Premier League and using IFAB's directives in terms of VAR protocols - believes that the assistant can 100% believe that the player is offside and can raise the flag. However, if there is any doubt, they will lower the flag.
Analyze events Sky movement” Referee watchDermot Gallagher said: "You see her (Massey-Ellis) explaining to the (Leicester) goalkeeper because even though he is asking why she isn't tagged.
"You can clearly see her saying, 'The higher his distance is not enough, I have to hold my flag'. It's not the law - it's the directive.
"The law is offside, but the assistant's instructions are, because we have VAR, please don't raise your flag early. If he put it in the net, you can go back and check it."
One of the benefits of this policy is that stopping effective targets are wrongly excluded by early flags and helping mitigate human errors. It has been in the Premier League since 2021, and while events like Awoniyi are rare, the injury of the Forest striker has sparked a conversation about the ruling.
There are calls around the Premier League to delay the flag in a clear offside situation.
Speech Referee watchStephen Warnock said: “Of course, common sense has to kick into the gear at some point.
"Common sense tells you: three to four yards, raise the flag, stop these things from happening. I didn't go to Sian Massey-Ellis, I'm talking about rulemakers.
“If it’s two to three yards (offside), and there’s something in your mind thinking, ‘Is it offside or isn’t it? I’m not sure here.
"But? Just raise your flag."
Manchester City defender John Stones was injured during the game stage and was later ruled out of offside in December 2023, prompting an angry response from Pep Guardiola.
He said: "I don't understand. Obviously, offside, now he's hurt. They said, 'You're right, you're right...but it's too late. It's not them (officials), the rules come from the big boss. But I don't understand."
During the season's opening weekend, Chelsea forward Nicolas Jackson showed up with the fourth official while he was clearly offside. Gary Neville complained about his offside process at the joint trial “14 days.”
Say it again Referee watch Warnock added this week: "We're watching (Awoniyi event) and going, 'Is that what we've been waiting for? Is the thing that's going to change the rules happening?"
"Because we've been saying for years, there could be a collision, and the assistant referee said, 'By the way, that's offside'. We all know that's, why don't you make this decision?"
Nuno: We can't blame the referee
Nuno insisted that officials followed only guidelines and allowed to continue playing after Elanga's offside, but said guidance should be changed before next season.
He said: "The law is like this. We can't blame the referee for it. They followed the guidance. It's obvious that everyone knows. But the players and the referees have instructions to play at the whistle, so unfortunately, this happened.
“Since this law, there are some concerns about this aspect immediately, and something serious can happen. How can you control this if there is a red card after an offside?
"But they know. The law cannot be changed now, so the guidance of the referee is more important than anything else.
“When it’s clear, let’s try to avoid it.”