Nottingham Forest handed Serge Aurier a new contract in the summer and the club have been surprised by the player. The Ivorian arrived in the summer of 2022 and quickly became a quality addition to the squad.
Aurier played an important part in the Forest team that won the right to remain in the Premier League last season. He was a regular in the team and proved his worth as an experienced performer.
The 30-year-old has arrived at Forest following a short spell with Villarreal. There he’d helped the Yellow Submarine defy the odds and reach the last four of the Champions League.
Forest surprised by Aurier
The Ivory Coast international has surprised the head coach and his teammates at the City Ground. He’s now part of the club’s leadership group, according to The Athletic and has captained the team this season.
On Sunday against Aston Villa, Aurier wasn’t fit enough to start for Forest so the armband was tossed to Morgan Gibbs-White. Joe Worrall and Ryan Yates remain the captain and vice-captain respectively.
It’s claimed in the report that Forest are happy they were able to extend his contract in the summer, with the player keen to remain on Trentside. It’s also believed that the player has been a welcome surprise, delivering a level of influence to the team’s younger players that wasn’t expected.
Aurier working hard to get place back
Last season, Aurier would have been a good outside bet to be the Forest Player of the Year. He made 28 appearances in total and was largely brilliant, with his top-level experience evident.
This season he has missed one game through injury but he’s started nine of the 10 games he’s been available for, with the player being left on the bench for the weekend win over Villa.
That in itself represents a bit of a quandary for Cooper. After a strong showing, he must be tempted to stick with his full-backs and Aurier will have to work hard to get his place in the Forest team back.
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