Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper has been raving about Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic and jokingly suggested to The Athletic that he should be banned from the Championship!
The Serbian talisman scored twice against Forest earlier this season when the Cottagers won 4-0 at the City Ground.
On Saturday he chalked up his 20th goal of the season in just his 17th appearance during 2021/22.
Mitrovic has scored at least once in his last six outings and he’s been a joy to watch for Fulham this season.
During an interview after a 3-0 win for Forest over Preston, Cooper was quizzed on the brilliance of the 27-year-old.
He told The Athletic: “I think he should be banned from the league personally…he scores too many goals. It’s like having a cheat code, isn’t it? Fair play to him, his record is outstanding.
“Any manager or coach at this level would take him in a heartbeat. He is Fulham’s player and we felt his effects a few weeks ago. He’s a real asset.”
Forest might not have proved much of a match for Fulham when they met the other week but under Cooper, there have been some good performances.
The Reds won again on Saturday and Cooper’s team currently sit third in the Championship form table.
Lewis Grabban must continue on the Forest goal trail and replicate Mitrovic
The Reds talisman now has eight goals this season, eclipsing the six he managed throughout the entire 2020/21 campaign.
Grabban might not be knocking on Mitrovic’s door come to the end of the season but he is capable of scoring 20 goals.
He achieved that feat during 2019/20, becoming the first striker in over a decade to manage the milestone.
Plenty of clubs would welcome a striker like Grabban in their team and it’s important that he becomes Forest’s version of Mitrovic this season.
Sadly for Cooper, the EFL won’t be banning Mitrovic for daring to score goals.
The challenge for the Forest boss is to get his players to match the standards set by the Serb each and every week.