Chris Hughton has heaped praise on rarely-seen Nottingham Forest man Loic Mbe Soh after Saturday’s draw with Reading.
The Reds incumbent saw Scott McKenna return to the action at the weekend, partnering Tobias Figueiredo at centre-back.
Joe Worrall has cracked a rib and will now be out of action for a few weeks.
Having McKenna back was a welcome boost and he returned to the team wearing the captain’s armband.
Hughton admitted, however, that the decision wasn’t easy considering how well Mbe Soh has been training.
He told Nottinghamshire Live: “It was a tough decision because Loic Mbe Soh has done really well in training.
“He is a fabulous young player, but probably I chose to go with more experience.
“Loic is a terrific young player that we like too.”
Forest are next in action when they face Norwich City at the City Ground on Wednesday night.
The Canaries are flying high at the summit of the Championship and Forest will need to be at their very best to get anything.
Earlier in the season Norwich beat the Reds 2-1 at Carrow Road.
Will we see Mbe Soh before the end of the season?
Possibly but it’s likely to take another injury to see him break into the team.
The 19-year-old has been forced to wait patiently for a chance, playing just seven times during 2020/21.
Mbe Soh has been an unused substitute for the last 10 Championship games and hasn’t played since a 0-0 draw with Barnsley.
Given his tender years, his time will come and Hughton’s comments should give him confidence.
McKenna hasn’t played a lot of football and right now Mbe Soh will be considered the first cab off the rank if another injury strikes.
There has been plenty of promise shown in Mbe Soh and it’s perhaps a shame Forest are still embroiled in a relegation battle.
Had the Reds picked up a few more points at the stage, Hughton might have chosen to look at a few things ahead of next season.
For now, Mbe Soh will have to remain patient.
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