Nottingham Forest may have fallen to a 1-0 defeat to Burnley in the Carabao Cup last night, but 20-year-old Brandon Aguilera caught the eye in his 11-minute cameo off the bench.
A lot of Forest fans were desperate for the Costa Rican youngster to make his competitive debut, but Aguilera was restricted to a place on the bench.
The 20-year-old came on in stoppage time as the visitors fired home to score what was the winning goal.
Youngster Aguilera came on to replace debutant Andrey Santos, who himself had a very tidy debut, slotting into the midfield alongside Ryan Yates.
Brandon Aguilera – Forest’s bright spark
Although he only came on in stoppage time, the Costa Rican youngster added some desire and determination to a side that looked below par all night.
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He looked to play forward at every opportunity and tried to create an opening, looking to set up an equalising goal to potentially take the game to penalties.
The 20-year-old also put himself about, winning tackles and aerial battles, some of which he had no right to win given his stature.
From his 11-minute cameo, you can see why Steve Cooper has wanted to keep him around the first-team squad and not loan him out. With his age, he doesn’t have to be registered to play in the Premier League, so he could be a good option as a squad player if given an opportunity.