Nottingham Forest battered Burnley 4-1 in the Premier League on Sunday to move five points clear of the relegation zone with five matches remaining.
The Reds won courtesy of a stirring second-half comeback that saw Morgan Gibbs-White score a hat-trick and Igor Jesus bag his maiden Premier League goal at the City Ground.
Vitor Pereira’s team have kicked on since he replaced Sean Dyche back in February, and Forest are now unbeaten in seven matches in all competitions.
Cards on the table – How are you rating Vitor Pereira for his team’s performances since he arrived at Nottingham Forest?
Several players have started to play much better since Dyche’s departure, and one player is now making a mockery of the former boss.
Jair Cunha impresses under Vitor Pereira
With Murillo limping off injured, Cunha got the chance to get more Premier League minutes under his belt after starring against Porto on Thursday night.
Cunha didn’t disappoint and produced a pretty commanding performance at centre-back as Forest kicked on in the second half to run out 4-1 winners.
Who Scored shows that Cunha won two aerial challenges, made five clearances and finished with a rating of 6.83 following his sound showing.
Dyche gave Cunha a single appearance in the FA Cup against Wrexham, and when Murillo was absent, he preferred Morato ahead of the young Brazilian.
That is quite frankly ridiculous, with Cunha showing far more than Morato has in the past, looking much less error-strewn for starters.
Forest might have Murillo replacement in Cunha
Although the consensus is that Forest will stay up this season and then keep Murillo, with top European clubs sniffing around the Brazilian, the time might come for him to leave this summer.
If that is the case, Forest will almost certainly head into the transfer market for a new centre-back, but Cunha has certainly showcased that he’s capable of stepping in to replace Murillo.
With the games continuing to come thick and fast, Murillo might not be risked on Friday at Sunderland and if Pereira does go with Cunha, fans will have no nerves at all regarding his inclusion.
Dyche’s decision not to pick him basically speaks for the former boss as a head coach in the modern era and hopefully, the Brazilian can keep progressing under a manager who seemingly now rates him highly.
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