Nottingham Forest have allowed Lewis O’Brien to go on loan to DC United and Wayne Rooney has reacted. The man who managed Derby County has raided Forest to take the midfielder on loan.
It’s been a frustrating few months for O’Brien. He had agreed to join Blackburn on loan until the end of the season but Rovers submitted the wrong paperwork on transfer deadline day.
The Reds star was then left in limbo. An appeal from the Championship side was rejected and Forest had already submitted their 25-man squad to the Premier League, with O’Brien omitted.
Heading to the MLS has handed the player a reprieve though. He will stay with Rooney’s squad until July and he will hope to play plenty of games for the American outfit.
O’Brien only signed for the club during the summer. He was plucked by Forest from Huddersfield shortly after the Reds had defeated the Terriers in the Play-Off Final at Wembley.
Interstingly, O’Brien played a part for the Reds during the first half of the season. He made 14 appearances for the Reds, scoring a late consolation goal during a 3-2 defeat to Fulham in September.
Rooney has reacted after Forest let O’Brien join DC United
Rooney is delighted to get this one over the line. He has bolstered his squad with a stellar signing and it’ll be hoped that O’Brien can help DC overcome a tricky start to the season.
The man who oversaw relegation at Derby last season is in charge of the club where he finished his playing career. He’s proving a decent coach and he hopes O’Brien can become a superb addition.
He told the club’s official Twitter account: “Bringing him in on loan from Nottingham was a great bit of business for us and he will be a brilliant addition to our midfield.”
O’Brien just needs to play games. The formalities of the deal don’t really matter at this stage and Steve Cooper has done the right thing in allowing him to leave on a loan deal.
The youngster is a quality player and he should still improve. It’s something of a shame that he’s ended up in the MLS at this stage of his career but now he will have a big point to prove.