Joao Carvalho missed the start of the season through injury, but Nottingham Forest need him to start shaking off the rust.
It has been forgiven to this point.
Returning from an untimely knock is never easy, especially when competitive action is up and running.
Pre-season is intended to ready the troops for battle.
Carvalho sat out much of that preparation period.
He opened the summer in the Reds’ starting XI for a meeting with Alfreton.
Just 45 minutes were taken in before hitting the treatment table.
The Portuguese swapped Nike boots for a protective one.
He was not seen again until August 27.
A dream return was made to the ranks, as the 22-year-old stepped off the bench to open his goal account for the season in a 3-0 Carabao Cup win over Derby.
Luck
There was a sizeable slice of luck in his effort against the Rams.
In truth, he knew little about it.
Had fortunes been reversed for the talented playmaker?
Well, no… in a word.
There have been flashes of the brilliance he undoubtedly possesses since then.
Clever touches, raking passes and neat flicks have all been brought back out of the locker.
Just not often enough.
That is the challenge now facing Carvalho – to add some consistency to his game.
In many ways, that has been his remit since arriving on Trentside back in 2018.
He is now running out of excuses.
A debut campaign was all about adjusting to new surroundings and bosses who did not always fancy him.
Carvalho now has a coach who is a big fan.
Qualities
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Sabri Lamouchi has talked up the qualities of his No.10 and hopes for making the most of them.
He is still waiting on a spark.
Another international break could be considered to have come at a good time.
Carvalho has had another fortnight to get himself up to speed.
Game time is required to rediscover full match sharpness, but he has now figured in eight matches this season.
We are midway through the third month of the campaign so nothing is new anymore – manager, team-mates, expectation etc.
Everyone, even those to have nursed knocks, should be up to speed by now.
Carvalho will have a prominent role to play from this point, with the plan being for him to inspire an ongoing promotion push.
Like a few of those around him, and Forest as a collective, there is so much more to come.
He would admit as much, with it now up to him to turn potential into something more tangible.
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