Tyler Bindon’s reputation has continuously grown since his January move to Nottingham Forest, with his latest display on loan at Reading greatly impressing their fans.
It came as a surprise when Forest were linked with Bindon on transfer deadline day as it seemed that Evangelos Marinakis wouldn’t sign anyone in the window, but the Reading man’s potential was clearly too hard to pass up on.
Reading fans hailed Bindon’s ability as the deal was officially announced, hailing his technical prowess for a centre back which will have drawn comparisons with Murillo in Forest fans’ minds.
If there remained any doubt about why Forest signed the Kiwi, Bindon won New Zealand’s Emerging Sporting Talent award, showing how highly the defender is thought of by everyone who has watched his progression.
Furthering this point, Bindon’s composure was picked out by a Kiwi commentator. This composure was on show on Saturday as Reading fans were seriously impressed with Bindon’s display against the big-spending League One leaders, Birmingham City.
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Reading fans react to exceptional Tyler Bindon display
Reading faced a Birmingham side who top the table with games in hand, making Bindon’s task all that more difficult to keep a clean sheet.
However, against a Scottish international striker in Lyndon Dykes, Bindon managed just that which led to Reading fans taking to social media to praise the on-loan Forest man.
One Reading fan said: “3 championship quality strikers and couldn’t get past Mbengue or Bindon”, with another adding: “Bindon, Savage and Craig all excellent.”
Another Reading fan said: “Technically, Tyler Bindon was a class above everyone else on the pitch”, while another said: “Mbengue and Bindon are immense.”
Immense is exactly the word to describe Bindon at League One level, with his stats from the game showing he has the potential to make the step up for Forest one day.
Tyler Bindon’s stats against Birmingham City were impressive
Despite being only 20 years old, Bindon carries impressive experience, earning 13 senior caps for New Zealand alongside Chris Wood. He clearly takes this experience into his Reading games, showing his class against Birmingham on Saturday.
| Statistic | Bindon vs Birmingham |
| Aerial duels won % | 71% |
| Clearances | 6 |
| Dribbled past | 0 |
| Successful dribbles | 1 |
| Successful long balls | 5 |
Bindon is excellent on the ball and had an 80% pass accuracy against Birmingham, including five accurate long balls as Reading looked for an outlet against the league leaders.
The Kiwi also completed his one dribble attempt, which didn’t impact his defensive work as not a single Birmingham player was able to dribble past him in the game.
At 6 foot 5, Bindon is also a commanding presence in the air, winning 71% of his duels in a performance that Nikola Milenkovic would’ve been proud of.
Possessing a similar technical style as Murillo, Bindon could well be seen as a long-term heir to the Brazilian who will be continuously linked with Europe’s elite sides.
Murillo signed a new Forest deal so the Kiwi will have to bide his time but if Bindon can keep up this level of performance, he could eventually be the ideal answer for Forest should Murillo leave.
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