Nottingham Forest boss Chris Hughton has lavished praise on new recruit Cafu during an interview with Nottinghamshire Live.
The Reds midfielder is yet to play for the first-team but did get 90 minutes for the under-23s on Monday, scoring a free-kick during a 4-3 victory.
Cafu arrived on a season-long loan and he took his place in the development squad along with Gaetan Bong.
Hughton has suggested during his recent interview, however, that Cafu is a player who might feature sooner rather than later in the first-team.
He told Nottinghamshire Live: “Cafu is a new player, one that I know but who I didn’t know so well.
“It was an opportunity for him to play 90 minutes, which is important, but also an opportunity to see him.
“Cafu is a player we like. He’s a talented player.”
The 27-year-old midfielder signed for the Reds earlier this month, with Tiago Silva heading to Olympiacos in the opposite direction.
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He has featured in France and Poland, featuring against Rangers in the Europa League during the 2018/19 campaign.
Cafu played 17 minutes for Olympiacos this season, scoring in a 2-0 win over Panetolikos back in September.
During 2019/20, Cafu played 21 games for the Greek champions, largely featuring as an out-and-out central midfielder.
He can also operate more defensively and he could actually become a decent signing for the Reds.
Immediately the challenge for Cafu is to top his fitness up and then try and force his way into Hughton’s plans.
The Portuguese performer has Harry Arter, Jack Colback, Ryan Yates and Samba Sow ahead of him in the pecking order.
Winning a place won’t be easy but these comments bode well and it might not be too long before he is strutting his stuff at the City Ground.
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