‘Perfect for him’… David Prutton praises Nuno for unleashing 23-year-old for rare Forest outing

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David Prutton has now been discussing Nottingham Forest defender Nuno Tavares after Sunday’s draw with Blackpool.

The Sky Sports anchor was speaking to the Forest Focus podcast.

So, what did Prutton say about Tavares after his first Forest performance since September? Let’s take a closer look…

What David Prutton said about Forest defender Nuno Tavares

Well, the man who came through the Forest academy as a player believes that Nuno Espirito Santo unleashed the Portuguese player at the right time.

Tavares has endured a pretty rotten loan spell with Forest – signing from Arsenal in the summer and making just three appearances before Sunday.

However, Prutton thinks Forest head coach Espirito Santo had little to lose by introducing him at half-time on Sunday.

The Sky Sports anchor told Forest Focus: “I think that game was perfect for him, wasn’t it? The manager could chuck him on and he’s not got to worry too much about being part of a sound defensive unit. If his natural instinct is to bomb forward, it’s a perfect game for him in that sense. His ability and desire to get forward was good.

In our view, Forest defender Tavares gave a very good account of himself during the 2-2 draw against League One opposition.

The stats backed that up too, with Tavares delivering four successful crosses – which was only two less than Morgan Gibbs-White and Danilo who shared corner-taking duties for 90 minutes.

Forest still have decision to make on unfancied defender

Tavares did produce a very decent display on Sunday but some context is probably required from a Forest perspective.

This was a strong showing but after six goals for Marseille last season, few would have tipped Tavares to struggle against a third-tier team.

Still, he can only be judged on what he came up with and his display will have given Espirito Santo some food for thought.

Forest will have a decision to make this month over whether they want to keep Tavares for the remainder of the campaign.

Right now, with Ola Aina on African Cup of Nations duty, it would certainly be a risk for the club to sanction any defensive exits.

Forest will have some irons in the fire, however, and the Tavares situation is one for Espirito Santo to work out before the end of the month.