Jermaine Jenas has been explaining what really worried him when Paul Hart named him as the Nottingham Forest captain as a 17-year-old.
The pundit and former Reds midfielder has been speaking on the That Peter Crouch Podcast.
So, what has Jenas said about the time when he was announced as the Forest captain? Let’s take a closer look…
Jermaine Jenas explains what worried him about being Forest captain
Jenas was given the captain’s armband at the tender age of 17 by Paul Hart who had watched him come through the youth ranks.
At the time, the Forest dressing room boasted several experienced professionals – but it was Jenas who got the nod.
Speaking this week, he’s explained how he was worried about how some of the older players would react to the decision made by Hart.
He told the That Peter Crouch Podcast: “That was the one thing that worried me (how the experienced players would react).
“Paul Hart gave it to me and he’d had me as captain in the youth team. I was thinking how is Riccardo Scimeca going to react – the ultimate professional and a top guy.
“It was funny because I remember Riccy was like one of the first people who came up to me and he was like ‘Good luck, good on you and we’re all behind you’.
“I thought if I can get that from Riccy the others will follow and they did. I just remember it was wild, I loved it, the captaincy part.”
It doesn’t come as much of a surprise that he was made captain. Jenas has already spoken about how the experienced players warmed to him as soon as he was promoted to the first team.
Jenas was a class act at the City Ground
Forest have a proud history of youngsters emerging through the academy but Jenas is among the very best.
He fetched the club £5 million at a time when finances were desperate and he enjoyed a very successful career in the Premier League.
Jenas only actually played 33 games for Forest but as a Reds fan, he naturally appreciated being able to play for the club.
The midfielder has six games back on loan at Forest during the 2012/13 campaign and scored a memorable goal against Barnsley.
His best days were behind him then, however, and it’s the first spell that he’s fondly remembered for.
Jenas clearly appreciated being handed the captain’s armband as a teenager at Forest.
He led by example even as a youngster and the excitement was evident when he spoke about it during the recent interview.
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