Former Premier League defender Nedum Onuoha heaped praise on Nottingham Forest star Serge Aurier after the Reds beat Leeds 1-0. The Ivorian defender was introduced at half-time after being a surprise omission from the team sheet ahead of kick-off.
Forest won the Premier League clash 1-0 at the City Ground. They won the day courtesy of an early volley by Brennan Johnson that ripped beyond Illan Meslier in the Leeds goal.
Despite leading at half-time, it was a tactical adjustment from Steve Cooper that gave the Reds the edge in a massively important fixture. Aurier and Jack Colback were introduced at half-time and Leeds were stifled throughout the second half.
Onuoha thought the introduction of Aurier was pivotal. The ex-Tottenham man was in fantastic form and he’s been praised for the job he did on Leds danger man Willy Gnonto.
The ex-Premier League defender told Match of the Day 2: “Serge Aurier made a big difference in the second half. He was more aggressive up against Willy Gnonto. Perhaps he wasn’t always clean with his defending. He didn’t disappear as such but he was far less dangerous. It was a great tactical adjustment by Cooper.”
Ohuoha heaped praise on Aurier
The former Villarreal and PSG star has been a revelation for Forest. It’s quite ridiculous that Forest managed to get him on a free transfer and plenty of other clubs must be wishing they’d declared themselves keen on him.
Aurier was surprisingly left out of the starting eleven. It’s not clear whether or not he was carrying a knock of any sort but the decision did raise some eyebrows.
At 30-years-old, Aurier will hope to continue playing for a few more years. He does only have a contract at Forest until the end of the season and Forest will need to act if they want to keep him.
Forest go to Fulham next. They will want to continue their strong start to the calendar year and now the Reds can genuinely see a path towards surviving relegation this season.