Joe Worrall has been edging back towards his best for Nottingham Forest and on Friday he showcased why Premier League clubs are vying for his signature.
Forest drew 0-0 with West Brom and it’s fair to say that it wasn’t a classic by any stretch of the imagination. The Reds stood firm, however, against a team aided by parachute payments.
In Worrall, Steve Cooper had a defender in his team bang in form and nothing looked like beating him on a cold night at The Hawthorns.
It wasn’t just the 24-year-old’s defending that caught the eye on Friday. When Albion were reduced to 10-men, he was bringing the ball forward with intent and almost leading the charge from the back.
Worrall missed the first four games of 2021/22 but has slowly been building up to this complete performance.
Alongside Scott McKenna and Tobias Figueiredo, the defensive unit stood firm. On this occasion, however, it was Worrall whose performance led to floods of praise.
Some statistics from Who Scored highlighted just how good Worrall was during Friday’s draw for the Reds.
He won three aerial duels against the opposition and completed an impressive six tackles – the most of any Forest player during the 90 minutes.
He also made four interceptions, blocked three shots and attempted 61 passes – again the most of any Forest player on the night!
Worrall flexes Premier League credentials during Forest masterclass
This really was a performance to soothe sort eyes from a Forest perspective. The whole defensive performance was good but as David Johnson said afterwards, Worrall was tremendous.
Sadly, it hasn’t come at a great time really. The transfer window will be open in a matter of weeks and it’s no secret how close Worrall was to leaving Forest in the summer.
This level of performance will only intensify his brilliance and that could lead to some offers being fielded when the window reopens.
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