Journalist wowed by £40k-per-week Nottingham Forest player in Villarreal friendly draw

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Nottingham Forest took one step closer to their Premier League opener against Bournemouth on Friday night with their latest friendly.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s men played out a 0-0 draw against La Liga outfit Villarreal in what proved a solid test for the Reds.

It’s been a mixed bag of results in pre-season but their efforts cannot be denied with Anthony Elanga admitting Forest did double sessions in the 40C Spain heat.

And it seems as if the hard work which has been put in earlier this summer is beginning to pay off with some impressive displays out there at the City Ground on Friday.

Forest may not have been able to secure a win, but there was one player who particularly impressed in front of the home crowd.

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£40k-per-week player really impressed in Forest vs Villarreal

With only two weeks until Forest kick off their 2024/25 campaign, Nuno fielded a strong XI to start the game against the Spanish side.

And the starting XI earned just over an hour’s worth of football before the Forest boss began to make the changes.

This could be a real suggestion towards the side which could start in that game against Bournemouth in a couple of weeks time.

The defence included new signing Nikola Milenkovic, however, at left-back was Ola Aina who put in a solid display.

• READ MORE: Anthony Elanga says something Carlos Miguel has already done wowed the entire Nottingham Forest squad

Having reported on the game, journalist Paul Taylor shared on social media just how impressed he was by the £40k-per-week full-back, Aina.

“Ola Aina has been impressive again tonight… he also has even outdone Murillo in the massive shorts stakes,” said The Athletic reporter.

“If he gets a strong wind behind him, it’ll give him a bit of extra pace.”

Nottingham Forest could still sign more players this summer

Forest have been one of the busiest clubs in the transfer market in the Premier League having added six new faces.

Of course, Marko Stamenic departed immediately on loan, but the Reds still have around a month to seal any further additions.

But that could also mean there is still time for Forest to potentially see some of their players depart before the deadline.

And it has been suggested that Forest have now dramatically reduced their valuation of Murillo as Chelsea loom.