Michael Brown heaped praise on Nottingham Forest striker Chris Wood for his efforts during the Boxing Day win over Newcastle. The 32-year-old scored a hat-trick as the Reds claimed three vital points.
Wood has been showcasing exactly what he’s capable of under new Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo. He bagged an equalising goal in the defeat to Bournemouth at the weekend and was in fine form at Newcastle.
The player drew some praise from Alan Shearer after the 3-1 win over Newcastle. In fairness, he could have scored more than three he did get but he will certainly be happy with his goal haul.
Forest star Wood praised by Brown
The man who played several Premier League games during his career was doing co-commentary duties for Amazon Prime. He named Forest star Wood as the Player of the Match during the live coverage and he was very impressed.
Brown explained: “I think it’s become very easy, it’s the man at the top of the pitch. He’s got his Forest teammates to thank that’s for sure, Elanga, Hudson-Odoi, Gibbs-White but it’s certainly that man Chris Wood. He wouldn’t have dreamed of getting a hat-trick here but he’s in the right place for the first one and it’s the next two finishes that were really impressive. It’s been a top performance.”
Wood now has seven goals during the 2023/24 campaign as he continues to defy the odds. He’s been largely viewed as a deputy to Taiwo Awoniyi and his injury has now thrown the striker a lifeline at Forest.
Wood could be integral under Espirito Santo
A new manager can ultimately provide a clean slate for everyone at Forest, including Wood. Given that Espirito Santo made six changes to his team at Newcastle, it’s clear he wants to give everyone a chance to prove themselves.
Wood is one of the players who looks to have benefitted from a new style of football. Forest created plenty of chances at Newcastle and thankfully they were able to take some of them.
Brown was on the money with his comments on Wood after the Forest win. He will have plenty to thank his teammates for but he will be delighted to finish off the chances.
The challenge for Wood now is to push towards double figures for the campaign. If he can do that and keep scoring goals, Forest will have a great chance of avoiding relegation once again.
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