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Oliver Glasner said Taiwo Awoniyi was fully deserving of his emotional guard of honour as the Nottingham Forest striker closes in on his move to Coventry City. The forward is close to completing a switch to the Sky Blues, subject to the final contract formalities, which is believed to be worth around £17m. Awoniyi said goodbye to the fans inside the City Ground today at half-time of their 2-0 win over Brest, as the first-team squad, which had played a behind-closed-doors friendly against Coventry, gave him the bumps. The striker struggled to keep a lid on his emotions, having become a popular figure at the club since joining from Union Berlin in 2022. Speaking after the game, and asked for his reaction to the move, Reds boss Glasner said: "He is a fantastic person. "He's not just a very good football player, but also a great person. He's probably one of the loveliest guys I've met, always friendly, always smiling. "Everybody in the club likes him, and I could see everybody in the stand likes him and this is what everybody appreciates. It's not just the football. "You always feel he gives 100 per cent for the team. He always gives 100 per cent for the badge and that's why he deserved such a farewell and such a guard of honour. "That's why we decided that we'll give it to him, and I wish him all the best at his next club, just not when they play against us." While the first-team squad were on the pitch at half-time to give Awoniyi their send-off, they were given the day off after their exertions against the Sky Blues, a game they won 2-0. The team that took to the field against Brest included the likes of Callum Hudson-Odoi and Nicolas Dominguez, as they secured a 2-0 win, with both goals coming in the first half. Chris Wood opened the scoring from the penalty spot before Luca Netz, who won the spot-kick, added a second with a cool finish from a Dominguez pass. Reflecting on the performance, Glasner said: "It was a very positive game, especially the first half. I think we played very well. "Nice goals, we created some good chances and always being compact, I think they didn't have one finish inside the box the entire game, and so I'm very pleased with what I could see. "Almost everybody got 90 minutes in a behind-closed-door game yesterday, where many players took part, and all the others were involved in today's game. "It's just Ryan Yates is a minor issue, so I think he will be a doubt for the opener against Leeds. All others looked ready for the Premier League start."