Nottingham Forest left Lewis O’Brien out of their 25-man squad in January and right now it looks like a serious mistake made by the Reds.
The midfielder signed for £10 million in the summer had made 14 appearances for the Reds during the first half of the campaign.
He was slowly but surely getting up to speed in the team but a cruel illness saw him miss a few games and lose his place.
O’Brien was all set to move on loan to Blackburn in January but the EFL outfit failed to submit the right paperwork in time and the move was off.
Now, the 24-year-old is in limbo somewhat and he’s set to receive a lifeline from DC United in the MLS.
There is now a sense, however, that Forest have massively dropped the ball with this one.
Against Tottenham on Saturday and in recent weeks, the Reds have utilised a three-man midfield where all the components are extremely similar.
O’Brien offers something different. He’s a ball-carrying option and he’s now afraid to progress the ball before releasing it.
When the youngster has played he’s been largely good and he would certainly offer the Reds something different right now.
Forest made a mistake over O’Brien
The Reds have done right by the midfielder by hooking him up with DC United. Things could have been so much different though.
Forest are now trying to find the right formula for their midfield engine room but the key component could be staring them in the face unable to play.
O’Brien was adapting to life in the Premier League pretty nicely but now it remains to be seen when he will next make a Forest appearance.
It’s pleasing to see the Reds only loan O’Brien out. He could be a big player for Forest next season and at 24 he has time on his side.
In the short term, however, it’s hard not to think Forest have made a huge mistake over the midfielder.