Andre Ayew suffers freak knee injury without even playing on international duty in blow for Nottingham Forest

NOTTINGHAM FOREST forward Andre Ayew has suffered a freak injury while on international duty with Ghana.

The Black Stars captain hurt his knee when he slipped to the floor on his way to the home dressing room after Thursday’s 1-0 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying win over Angola in Accra.

Ayew – who had been left on the bench for Chris Hughton’s first match as Ghana boss – complained of pains in his knee in the early hours of Saturday.

The 33-year-old skipped the group tie in Angola on medical advice and returned instead to the East Midlands for further treatment and scans.

It is not known yet if he will miss any matches as 16th-placed Forest fight for their Premier League survival with 11 matches left.

Ghana came from behind to scrap a 1-1 draw against Angola and remain unbeaten in Group E as they chase a spot at the 2024 finals in the Ivory Coast.

Southampton centre-back Mohammed Salisu also did not make the trip to Luanda after being left out by Hughton due to fitness concerns.

Ayew joined Forest almost six months after their Premier League promotion last May.

Forest returned to the Prem after a whopping 23-year absence from the top flight.

That led to a transfer splurge by owner Evangelos Marinakis, who has signed a total of 30 players since the summer.

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In fact, Ayew was Marinakis' 30th signing as he arrived during the January transfer window.

The 33-year-old joined as a free agent after working with manager Steve Cooper at Swansea.

Forest are only two points away from the relegation zone amid a turbulent season.