Kyriakos Dourekas makes astonishing Ryan Yates claim after leaving Nottingham Forest

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Ryan Yates is the only survivor from Nottingham Forest’s team that won promotion in 2022 at Wembley Stadium.

There is little getting away from the fact that he’s very much the club’s ‘Mr Nottingham Forest’ and is the current club captain at the City Ground.

Yates has taken well to life in the Premier League, although for the last two seasons, he hasn’t really been considered a first choice in the midfield engine room under Nuno Espirito Santo, Ange Postecoglou or Sean Dyche.

Those managers – along with Steve Cooper – have valued his input to the squad, however, it hasn’t always been the case for Yates, with a former key figure now making an astonishing claim.

• READ MORE: Nottingham Forest linked player hands in transfer request

Kyriakos Dourekas makes Ryan Yates claim

This is quite remarkable but in an interview with BBC Radio Nottingham, the former Head of Football Operations at Forest has suggested managers of old have tried to get rid of Yates.

The academy graduate has gone on and made 258 appearances for the senior ranks after rising through the various youth levels and is respected within the dressing room.

However, Dourekas has made a pretty astonishing claim, suggesting that previous managers have tried to offload Yates from the City Ground.

He said: “He was from Nottingham, so his passion was immense for us. He was a local boy from the academy. At some point, they wanted to loan him out, even release him, but we kept him, played him more and helped him.”

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Yates should start against Braga

The Europa League has been the chance for Yates to get minutes this season and tonight shouldn’t be any different when the Reds take on Braga.

Forest have been struggling for consistency in their results and the Reds are now tantalisingly close to securing a place in the knockout stages of the Europa League.

Yates will have it all to do to force his way into the reckoning in the Premier League, but the European fixtures have at least provided him with a chance to prove himself.

With Brentford to come on Sunday, Dyche might look to rest a few players tonight, and that could open the door for Yates to come in and start for Forest.