Nottingham Forest Under-23s continued their strong form in Premier League 2 last night with a 3-0 win over Sunderland. Andy Reid opted to utilise both Jonathan Panzo and Loic Mbe Soh, potentially offering a selection hint ahead of tomorrow’s game with QPR.
The Reds have been rocked with the news that Steve Cook will miss six weeks of action. The defender limped out of Saturday’s win with Reading and the prognosis is six weeks on the sidelines for the centre-back.
Now, opportunity knocks for someone else. After Cook’s worst nightmare had been confirmed, talk among the fan base was centred around who might replace him in the team for Wednesday’s clash.
Mbe Soh and Panzo were mentioned in the mix. Reid’s decision now makes it highly unlikely that either will play against QPR and Forest man Tobias Figueiredo looks to be in the driving seat for a rare outing.
For French defender Mbe Soh, it appeared to be another frustrating night in a Forest shirt. He landed awkwardly on his neck. He did manage to play on, but he was withdrawn by Reid ahead of the second half.
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Panzo had a good game on the left-hand side of a back three. He looks destined for a bright future but for whatever reason, it doesn’t seem as though Steve Cooper fancies him to make an impact just yet.
Big chance for Figueiredo to regain Forest shirt
The Portuguese defender will have waited patiently for this chance to come around. Now, he must grasp the opportunity with both hands and prove he’s capable of slotting in at the expense of the experienced Cook.
Figueiredo has been a decent servant for Forest. He has endured some ups and downs but ultimately, he’s always given his all. Perhaps more crucially, he played well under Cooper earlier this season.
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The 28-year-old is out of contract in the summer. A return to Portugal looked on the cards in January. A move back to his homeland fell through, however.
Figueiredo now looks set to get a final chance to showcase to the Forest fans exactly what he’s capable of ahead of a probable summer departure.