Nottingham Forest youngster Oliver Hammond has been discussing what it’s been like working with Neil Taylor who has been coaching the Wales Under-21s. The man who spent last season at Middlesbrough has joined the Wales young guns as one of Matt Jones’ coaches.
Hammond hasn’t been interviewed too many times by Forest. However, he sat in front of the camera during the recent camp with Wales Under-21s camp and he was quizzed on Taylor’s input around the training pitch.
Wales defeated Scotland 3-0 on Sunday during their Under-21 clash. Hammond played the full 90 minutes as they secured a comprehensive victory to take into the European U-21 Championship qualifying campaign.
It’s perhaps no coincidence that this was the first game with Taylor on board. He should thrive in his coaching capacity and clearly, the young lads will respect him.
The Forest man told Wales’ official media team: “He’s been great to be fair. He’s got loads of experience and we can really learn from him. We had a Q&A with him and we got the chance to ask him some questions about his career. He was telling us about his mistakes and helping us understand how we can learn from them. It’s been good to have him working with the squad.”
Hammond working with Taylor should help him
The man who played for Swansea and Aston Villa as a very capable left-back served his country with distinction. The 34-year-old claimed 43 caps for his country and played for Wales during their epic run to the quarter-final of Euro 2016.
His presence around the Under-21s squad can only be a good thing. Indeed, Hammond already claims to be learning from the man who played 14 times for Middlesbrough last season.
The challenge for Hammond is to keep progressing with the Forest under-21s. He does have a few first-team outings to his name and perhaps a loan move is next in his development.
The talented player looks to have a bright future in the game. As a 20-year-old, he speaks well and he could make an impact for Forest and Wales in the future.