Nottingham Forest were linked with Conor Hourihane during January and the Reds must now make sure he doesn’t haunt them.
The Reds were keen on the Aston Villa man but ultimately he preferred a tilt at promotion with Swansea City.
The 30-year-old made his debut in last month’s FA Cup game against Forest; helping his new team to a 5-1 victory.
He played 66 minutes that afternoon and proved a constant menace to a makeshift Forest team.
He’s kicked on since and has helped himself to three goals in three Championship games, showcasing his undoubted ability at this level.
Hourihane had found himself down the pecking order at Villa Park. He only managed four appearances during 2020/21, following the arrival of Ross Barkley.
A player with his ability clearly needed to be playing football, with Swansea holding off competition from Forest, Bournemouth and Cardiff to secure his services.
Forest were also linked with a move for the midfielder prior to him moving to Villa Park in 2017.
The Reds were big admirers of the Barnsley captain but lost out to Villa who were in the Championship at the time.
Careful eye
Forest will have to keep a close eye on Hourihane tomorrow night and it’ll be interesting to see who is tasked with keeping him at close quarters.
He has played in central midfielder and as a No.10 in his opening three league games.
Hourihane has a wand of a left-foot and the Reds must tread with caution when it comes to giving silly free-kicks away.
The £25,000-a-week marvel has scored twice and registered two assists against Forest during his career.
The Reds will be in for a tough test at Swansea on Wednesday and a positive result could hinder on whether or not Hourihane can be kept quiet.
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