Stan Collymore wowed by Nottingham Forest star vs Real Betis, he ‘worked incredibly effectively’

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The last time Nottingham Forest played in European competition before the 2-2 draw with Real Betis came not long after Stan Collymore had left the club for Liverpool.

Collymore helped the Reds finish third and reach the UEFA Cup – now the Europa League – but didn’t play for Forest in Europe.

These days, Collymore still follows the club’s fortunes closely and watched on as Ange Postecoglou oversaw a 2-2 draw with Betis in Seville last night.

Joe Cole hailed Elliot Anderson for his performance, whilst Michail Antonio is now extremely worried for Chris Wood after another couple of goals for Igor Jesus.

However, Collymore has singled another player out for special praise after the first Europa League game of the campaign.

• READ MORE: Murillo hails Nottingham Forest star after draw with Real Betis

Stan Collymore makes claim about Forest star Ibrahim Sangare

The Reds went with three in midfield against Real Betis, and that meant Sangare was tasked with holding whilst Douglas Luiz and Anderson had licence to roam.

Both Luiz and Anderson played a part in Forest’s equalising goal, but it was Sangare who got the praise from Collymore for his efforts in midfield.

Sangare has failed to justify his price tag to some supporters since checking in back in 2023, but Collymore thinks he’s slowly but surely getting there.

He said on X: “It’s taken a little time, but Sangare is finally living up to some of the hype when he first signed, which seems about 35 years ago.

“Having Anderson and Luiz has helped, but he’s mopped up, disrupted and worked incredibly effectively tonight.”

Ibrahim Sangare stats vs Real Betis

Sangare did have a pretty strange performance vs Real Betis, certainly from a fan perspective.

It seemed as though, as Collymore suggests, he’d do something really good, but then moments later, do something that left Forest in a spot of bother.

However, he is growing with more minutes he gets on the pitch and this feels like a really big period for Sangare with Douglas Luiz getting match fit and Nicolas Dominguez returning from injury.

Some of the criticism that Sangare gets has been agenda-driven and largely unfair and with that in mind, it’s great to see Collymore stick up for the midfielder.