Nottingham Forest have a star in the making in Brazilian defender Murillo.
The Reds centre-back has been ever-present in the Premier League since making his debut against Brentford in October 2023.
Murillo was courted by at least four Premier League clubs in the summer.
Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City were all credited with interest and made tentative enquiries.
City tried to sign Murillo before his £10.6 million move to Forest, with Evangelos Marinakis now valuing the player at around £70 million.
For the next fortnight, Murillo will be with the Brazil squad for the first time and he will hope to make his debut.
Before jetting off to his homeland he sat down with Forest and answered some quickfire football questions.
Murillo names Brazil legend as his footballing idol
It’s long overdue that Murillo has been summonsed for the Brazil squad.
His form for Forest has warranted an inclusion way before now, with Murillo epitomising what Brazilian centre-backs need to play like.
The player has a swashbuckling approach to football and is never short of confidence whenever he steps on the pitch.
He’s been choosing his footballing icon and it will come as no surprise that Thiago Silva has got the nod.
He told the club’s official X account: “I think that is Thiago Silva. Yes, definitely.”
Murillo will hope to emulate Thiago Silva
This would be quite something if Murillo goes on to have a similar career to Silva.
The 40-year-old is still playing for Fluminense and has collected 113 caps for Brazil during his career to date.
Silva has played for Chelsea, AC Milan and PSG during his career, winning a number of trophies with each club.
He was instrumental as Chelsea lifted the Champions League for a second time in 2021 and served Chelsea with distinction.
Murillo has picked a superb idol and role model for him to look up to.
Silva is arguably the best centre-back to ever play for Brazil and it might not be long before the Forest defender is gracing major tournaments with his country.
Murillo could bring something to the Brazil defence that’s never been seen before and his ball-playing capabilities should make him a real asset on that stage.
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