A report has explained what Nottingham Forest midfielder Jonjo Shelvey did immediately after the Reds’ defeat to Aston Villa. The 31-year-old was handed another start in the team by head coach Steve Cooper.
Shelvey endured a disappointing afternoon. Shelvey was directly at fault for Villa’s first goal; playing a pass straight to Bertrand Traore with the goal at the player’s mercy.
The Athletic has claimed that Shelvey offered his hand in apology as soon as he got back into the dressing room. Steve Cooper confirmed the news and Shelvey was apparently distraught.
Shelvey signed for the Reds during the January transfer window. He’s shown flashes of what he’s capable of but he’s being crippled by several inconsistencies in his displays.
The 31-year-old looks way beyond his best these days. He doesn’t appear to be fit, plays well for fleeting moments in games and ultimately, he just looks way off the pace.
Signing Shelvey went against everything that Forest said they were going to do in terms of recruitment. Emphasis was set to be placed on signing energetic players with their best years still ahead of them.
Shelvey doesn’t really fit into that bracket at all. He’s way beyond his best years and Forest have added him to their ranks on a sizeable salary at the worst possible time.
What Jonjo Shelvey did after Forest defeat explained
It’s good of Shelvey to apologise but Forest simply cannot keep dropping points if they want to stay up. For 45 minutes, the Reds made the form team in the division look really ordinary.
But, in true Forest fashion, they reared their soft underbelly once more, with Shelvey in the firing line. His error essentially made life incredibly difficult for Forest and they were made to pay.
Cooper now has a conundrum to crack. He can’t really sit Shelvey on the bench but he’s got to decide how best to utilise the experienced performer to get the very best out of him.
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