Lewis McGugan has suggested that he doesn’t understand why Sam Surridge isn’t getting more game time for Nottingham Forest.
The Reds striker has hardly played this season, starting just one match in the Premier League with Steve Cooper preferring other options.
McGugan has been discussing the situation surrounding Surridge on the latest version of the Garibaldi Red Podcast.
The situation regarding Surridge is a bit weird. It’s perhaps considered weirder when Andre Ayew is getting minutes each week.
The 24-year-old has played for just 297 minutes in the top flight and his only start this season in the Premier League came on the opening day.
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Since Ayew came to the club, there’s been little point in Surridge being at the club.
The 33-year-old who played for Steve Cooper at Swansea has been the man tasked with changing the game from the bench instead.
McGugan doesn’t really understand it and thinks something must have gone wrong somewhere.
He told the Garibaldi Red Podcast: “That’s football isn’t it? Everyone will have their opinions and everyone is entitled to them. More so now, I think the discarding of Surridge is having an impact on Ayew. He’s not being played and the question is always asked, why not?
“People are frustrated and it pinpoints things on Ayew. If you didn’t have a player fans feel is a better option, I don’t think you’d always have this focus on Ayew.
“There’s obviously a breakdown somewhere, whether it’s at the training ground or tactically. There’s something there we aren’t privy to with Surridge not playing. That puts pressure on the manager because fans want their player to be picked.”
McGugan doesn’t understand why Surridge isn’t playing for Forest
Very few supporters would have Surridge in their starting eleven if everyone was fit. However, his lack of minutes from the bench is frankly criminal.
Surridge signed for the Reds in January 2022. He scored eight goals during the second half of last season, helping Forest win promotion.
His Premier League dream has turned into a nightmare though. The player is a natural-born finisher and it’s baffling that he’s not playing.
It would be nice for Cooper to be asked about Sturridge. The fact he considers Ayew a better option is just baffling, with the Ghanian international unlikely to be at the club next season.