It’s taken some time, but James McAtee has finally arrived on the scene at Nottingham Forest.
It’s been a disappointing time of things for the player signed for a fee in the region of £30 million from Manchester City, but he was one of the stars of the show against Ferencvaros on Thursday night.
McAtee lined up in an unfamiliar role on the right wing, and it was a position that he appeared to thrive in, often swapping places with Dan Ndoye, who was also given a bit of a licence to roam.
It was a poignant moment in the 90th minute when Morgan Gibbs-White won Forest a penalty kick, and after fluffing his lines in Braga last week, he let McAtee step up to make it 4-0 to the Reds.
After the game, Sean Dyche has a lot to say about McAtee, who, after so many frustrating outings, finally announced himself to the club’s supporters.
What James McAtee has been told by Sean Dyche at Nottingham Forest
Dyche was delighted for his player after seeing him finally star after so many missed opportunities, and clearly, he’s trying desperately to ensure McAtee becomes a success at Forest.
The Forest head coach praised McAtee after the game and lifted the lid on what he’s been saying to him behind the scenes to try and get him going on Trentside.
He said in his press conference: “I’m pleased with him. We have been speaking to him behind the scenes about playing with more freedom.
“Some of the games he hasn’t been where he wants to be, or where we want him to be. Tonight, he was and I am pleased for him. He has been putting the work in without a doubt.”
Who was your STAR MAN vs Ferencvaros?
Forest won 4-0 against the Hungarian outfit.
McAtee will now hope for more opportunities
Forest now face a game against either Fenerbahce or Panathinaikos in the round of 32 in the Europa League, and the challenge is to keep producing performances of this nature.
The Hungarians were poor throughout this contest with Forest, and the step up in quality against either Panathinaikos or Fenerbahce will be clear.
All McAtee can do now is take a lot of confidence from this performance and hope to produce at the same level when his next opportunity comes his way.
The youngster is a bit of a project player anyway for Forest and until he’s getting regular game time, it will be hard for him to gain any consistency in his performances.
This game will hopefully prove a turning point for the former City man, and now, it is anticipated that he can kick on at the football club.
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