Steve Cooper was a widely popular manager at Nottingham Forest, but one of his biggest coaching achievements came before his stint at the City Ground.
Cooper was appointed Forest manager in 2021, with his two-year period at the club most fondly remembered for Forest’s promotion to the Premier League in his first season in charge.
To his credit, Cooper was also able to keep Forest up in the Premier League in his first experience of the top flight but struggles in the second season saw Forest sack Cooper in December 2023.
His achievements at the City Ground won’t be forgotten, but one accomplishment in the England youth set-up still stands above his work at Forest.
Cooper won the 2017 FIFA U17 World Cup with England, with a squad that included three young starlets who would go on to represent Forest.
Jonathan Panzo
Jonathan Panzo signed for Forest from Dijon in the 2022 January transfer window, with the defender one of Cooper’s back four in the final victory against Spain.
He made a singular appearance for Cooper in the Championship promotion run before being sent out on loan to Coventry City, Cardiff City and Standard Liege in Belgium.
In the 24/25 summer window, Panzo joined Rio Ave on loan, another club owned by Evangelos Marinakis.
Callum Hudson-Odoi
The Chelsea academy graduate was one of the biggest names in Cooper’s young squad, with the winger mere months away from making his senior debut for the Premier League giants.
Things didn’t quite work out for him at Chelsea, though, as Hudson-Odoi joined Forest to kickstart his career under the guidance of a manager he trusted.
Cooper would be sacked just a few months after Hudson-Odoi joined the Forest squad but the exciting forward still managed eight goals in his debut campaign at the City Ground.
READ MORE: Meet Callum Hudson-Odoi: The Champions League winner starring for Nottingham Forest
Morgan Gibbs-White
Perhaps the most important for Forest, Morgan Gibbs-White also graced the u17 World Cup stage and even scored in the final.
Gibbs-White had already made his debut for Wolves at this point but after six years at Molineux, Gibbs-White signed for Forest in August 2022 and became one of Cooper’s marquee signings for the club’s return to the Premier League.
There is no doubt that Gibbs-White has been a hit since arriving at Forest, contributing to over ten goals in both of his full Premier League seasons in Nottingham on his way to winning the club’s Player of the Season award in 2023.
Gibbs White was called up to the England senior squad in 2024, which would’ve been an incredibly proud moment for Cooper, a manager who played a crucial role in his development both internationally and then at Forest.
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