Nuno is already prepared to let 26-year-old Nottingham Forest player leave this month

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Nuno Espirito Santo is ready to let Joe Worrall leave Nottingham Forest this month. The Reds player has fallen down the pecking order and now the new head coach has delivered the green light on the club captain.

Worrall has come through the academy at Forest and has made 224 appearances for the club. His latest came in the closing stages of the 3-1 win over Newcastle as the Reds saw out an exceptional win in the North-East.

It’s been claimed that Worrall is being eyed by West Ham United this month. However, there will also be vast interest from the Championship, with Leicester and Middlesbrough both linked with a move for the defender.

Worrall gets green light to leave Forest

The 26-year-old had fallen out of favour with Steve Cooper when he was at the club. A report claimed that Worrall had a fallout with the head coach before he departed the City Ground last month.

Now, The Mirror believes that his reprieve under Espirito Santo will be somewhat shortlived. He’s now given the green light for Worrall to leave, despite Willy Boly and Moussa Niakhate heading off the African Cup of Nations.

It’s not clear how much Forest will command for Worrall. However, he only signed a new long-term contract earlier this season and that should see the Reds take a healthy stance when it comes to a sale.

Forest will need a new centre-back

The Reds look set to miss out on Nino, with Zenit St Petersburg now winning the race to sign the Brazilian. With Worrall now looking likely to leave, the need for a new central defender is pretty urgent.

Boly and Niakhate are unlikely to feature at all in January. That will see them miss important games against Brentford and Arsenal; leaving Murillo as the only central defensive option that has played regularly this season.

Worrall is at the age where he will want to play and if he’s not going to do that with Forest, leaving seems like the only option. Espirito Santo will definitely need a new central defender though and it seems certain the Reds will dip their toe into the market.