Ibrahim Sangare issues 11-word Nottingham Forest message after brilliant return from injury vs Exeter

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For Ibrahim Sangare it’s been a long road back to the Nottingham Forest team.

The Ivorian player cost £30 million from PSV and since arriving he’s perhaps struggled to truly endear himself to the Forest fan base who seem to constantly expect more.

Last season was a frustrating one for the defensive midfielder. Steve Cooper admitted that he played Sangare out of position to try and help him accustom to the Premier League but that proved more of a hindrance.

When Nuno Espirito Santo arrived, Sangare had arguably his best performance in a Forest shirt in a 3-1 win at Newcastle. Shortly after, however, he went to the African Cup of Nations and contracted malaria.

That set Sangare way back. He lost a lot of weight which impacted his strength and he made just six appearances during the second half of the 2023/24 campaign.

A strong summer of work saw Sangare regain some strength and Espirito Santo started him in the first three games of the 2024/25 campaign and after those appearances, he had the most number of tackles in the Premier League.

In cruel fashion, Sangare tore his hamstring and that saw him miss the rest of the year – with the player returning with an assist during the 7-0 win over Brighton before being handed a start in the FA Cup against Exeter on Tuesday.

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Ibrahim Sangare reacts on Instagram after Forest beat Exeter

Back in the Carabao Cup, Sangare suffered penalty heartache. Newcastle might be looking forward to a final against Liverpool but had the Ivorian scored his penalty, the Magpies would have been dumped out in round two by Forest.

On Tuesday, he started a game for the first time since August. Sangare did well too, registering a couple of assists for the goals scored by Ramon Sosa and Taiwo Awoniyi.

After the game, he took to Instagram to post a message to the supporters. The midfielder said: “Not an easy one, but happy to continue our Emirates FA Cup journey.”

Ibrahim Sangare stats vs Exeter

His critics will point to the fact that Sangare should be playing well against a League One outfit, which isn’t wrong. However, if he’s not allowed to receive praise why didn’t every player in a Forest shirt produce a similar level of performance to Sangare?

The midfielder didn’t seem fazed by the conditions and a substandard playing surface. Instead, he rolled his sleeves up and got stuck into Exeter, proving useful in and out of possession.

The major worry with Sangare is the fouls he gives away. They do creep into his game a little bit too often and that’s something that the Forest head coach will try to iron out in the future.

Sangare is a very useful player for the Forest ranks. He’s a natural defence-minded midfielder but the fact he’s starting to show he can play a little bit is also a huge bonus for the Reds.