Scouts from Manchester United, Liverpool and Ipswich Town were in attendance as Super Eagles fullback Ola Aina helped Nottingham Forest secure victory over FC Midtjylland to advance to the quarterfinals of the UEFA Europa League.

According to Danish outlet Bold.dk, the scouts were present at the MCH Arena on Thursday night to monitor potential transfer targets ahead of the summer window.

The English clubs were also joined by representatives from several European outfits including Borussia Dortmund, Eintracht Frankfurt, Borussia Mönchengladbach and AS Monaco.

Aina, who has been a key figure for Forest since arriving from Torino in the summer of 2023, started the match on the bench but was introduced in the second half.

The Super Eagles defender replaced French winger Dilane Bakwa with about 14 minutes remaining in regulation time and quickly made his presence felt.

Shortly after coming on, Aina nearly found the back of the net when he latched onto a pass from Morgan Gibbs-White, but his effort sailed narrowly over the crossbar.

The Nigerian continued to influence the game and thought he had provided the decisive assist at the start of extra time when he set up Italian striker Lorenzo Lucca, only for the goal to be ruled out for offside.

Despite the setback, Forest held firm as the encounter ended 2–2 on aggregate before the Premier League side triumphed 3–0 in the penalty shootout to seal qualification for the quarterfinals.

His latest cameo performance could nevertheless intensify interest from several top clubs as the transfer window approaches.

However, Nottingham Forest remain in a strong position regarding the defender’s future, as the Nigerian is under contract with the club until the summer of 2028.

Adeyemi Adewale