Nottingham Forest talent Ateef Konate has sent Arsenal star William Saliba a message on Instagram.
The Reds talent took to social media to praise the central defender after he scored in this afternoon’s win.
Arsenal beat Brentford 3-0 and the French youngster scored the first Gunners goal.
The £36,000-a-week star has earned a shot at the Emirates Stadium this season after going on loan to Marseille last term.
Saliba is keen to make up for lost time and his goal this afternoon was his second of the campaign.
Konate has played alongside the Arsenal man at various youth levels and he was keen to praise his international teammate.
The Forest man is also 21 and he signed a professional contract with Forest back in 2020.
Last season, the young winger made his Forest debut, coming off the bench in a league game against Barnsley.
He’s likely to play in the under-21s more often than not during 2022/23 but the club have high hopes for him.
Konate joined the Reds from the reputable Le Havre academy and he will hope to get more first-team chances.
Saliba sent message by Konate
It’s perhaps a bit of a turn-up for the books to see a Forest talent heaping praise on an Arsenal star.
The Reds are now rubbing shoulders with the big boys though and this could become a common occurrence.
His post to Saliba simply read: “Well done mate”, with an emoji of a dart hitting the bullseye.
The challenge for Konate is quite clear and he simply has to keep improving with the development squad to earn a shot.
With 22 new players signed by the club this summer, it will be hard for any new academy lads to break through.
All he can do is remain keen and hungry and then he might get a shot should injuries and suspensions arise.
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