The Nottingham Forest squad will head off on their holidays after a brilliant Premier League season, but some will have one more chance to get into Nuno Espírito Santo’s good books ahead of pre-season.
Qualifying for Europe was a brilliant achievement for the Forest squad, some of whom believe the foundations were set all the way back in pre-season.
Callum Hudson-Odoi hailed Nuno’s pre-season as the key factor for the Premier League success, with the Portuguese boss having time to work on the Forest training ground after joining the club mid-season.
It’s been made clear that Evangelos Marinakis has big transfer plans for Forest so there will be new faces on the first day back, but three existing players in particular can stake their claim for a prominent role before pre-season even starts.
International duty hands Nottingham Forest stars the chance to impress
Some Forest stars still have football to play this summer, with International fixtures set for June. In total, seven of the Reds squad have been called up to represent their national sides, but three in particular can use this chance as an opportunity to stay in Espírito Santo’s thoughts.
Ibrahim Sangare
One of the revelations of the final weeks of the season, Forest fans were in awe of Ibrahim Sangare for the control and composure he brought to the midfield, completely switching the narrative on his Forest career that was in danger of petering out.
Sangare and the Ivory Coast will face Canada and Chris Wood’s New Zealand in the Canadian Shield, an invitational tournament in which Ukraine will also compete.
After Sangare was brilliant against Chelsea on the final day, he can build on that performance in his international duties to remain well in the mind of Espírito Santo ahead of pre-season.
Ramon Sosa
Sosa is linked with a move away from Forest in the summer, but with the UEFA Conference League ahead of the Reds, they may need the Paraguayan for squad depth.
Reportedly, Sosa wants to remain in Europe, so perhaps his Forest career isn’t quite over and he has a chance to remind Espírito Santo of his abilities on international duty with Paraguay.
Sosa will come up against Uruguay and Brazil in two crucial World Cup qualifiers with his national team. Espírito Santo will be aware that a good international break could see Sosa hit the ground running in pre-season, potentially reviving his Forest future.
Zach Abbott
Undoubtedly, Zach Abbott has the biggest opportunity to impress the Forest coaching staff this summer ahead of a crucial pre-season for his development.
Abbott will line up for the England Under-19s at the European Championships in Romania this summer, with a chance to become the latest member of the Forest squad to taste England success at youth level.
Espírito Santo has already praised Abbott after he started for Forest in the FA Cup semi-final in April. His chances of first-team football look good next season as well, given the homegrown rules of UEFA competitions, so good displays for England will only help to boost his status going into pre-season.
It’s clear that Forest have high hopes for Abbott, so hopefully he stars for England and then takes that form back with him in preparation for a new season at club level.
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