Ryan Yates reacts as Nottingham Forest talent caps brilliant start to 25/26 with international debut

Add as preferred source on Google

Nottingham Forest’s academy has been on the up over the last few years.

Just recently, academy product Zach Abbot was surprisingly asked to join England’s first-team training, and the 19-year-old was seen showing his quality in front of Thomas Tuchel.

Abbot is a player who excites Nuno Espirito Santo, but another academy player has just hit a major milestone in his career.

And club captain Ryan Yates has sent a message of congratulations for the player.

Ryan Yates sends Jamie McDonnell message as he makes international debut for Northern Ireland

Jamie McDonnell has been in the Nottingham Forest academy since 2020, but the midfielder is currently out on loan at Mansfield.

McDonnell has shown he can perform against Premier League opposition, and his displays have earned him a chance to show it on the world stage.

The Northern Irishman was recently called up for his nation, and on Sunday night, made his international debut.

He was only on the pitch for three minutes, but it is still a major milestone for the player.

Club captain Ryan Yates reacted to the achievement by sending the clapping hands emoji over on Instagram.

Ryan Yates is a man who knows what it takes to break through the youth ranks at Nottingham Forest.

Yates has been at the club since 2005 when he was just eight years old. The reaction from the club captain will no doubt give McDonnell a bigger sense of encouragement.

• READ MORE: Nottingham Forest’s Igor Jesus makes honest admission

Jamie McDonnell has not been given a chance at Nottingham Forest yet

While he has been at the club for five years, McDonnell is yet to feature for the first-team.

However, the Northern Irishman has been part of squads throughout his time including an FA Cup game against Blackpool and a Premier League fixture vs Brentford.

The academy gem signed a new two-year deal last summer, and that contract is set to expire at the end of this season. However, Forest do have an option to activate a further year.

It will be an important year for the 21-year-old. If the midfielder can impress for Mansfield on loan, he could force Forest to trigger that option.

He would then need to showcase he deserves a spot as part of the first-team, and after the summer that the club just had, that would be no easy task.

He has never been given a chance to show his quality for Nottingham Forest, and if the club allows his contract to expire, that would be a real shame.