Ola Aina has returned to form under Vitor Pereira with Nottingham Forest now looking ahead to a Europa League semi-final against Aston Villa.
The Nigerian performer has nailed down the right-back spot at Forest and is getting back to his consistent best under Pereira.
Is this the team to give us a first leg advantage in the Europa League against Aston Villa?
Aina will almost certainly be in the team when Forest play Aston Villa tonight, and ahead of the contest, the defender has been raving about one of Forest’s future stars.
Ola Aina says Jair Cunha is amazing in training
Forest are sweating a little bit over the fitness of Cunha ahead of the first leg with Villa, but the hope will be that he’s fit.
Under Pereira, Cunha has been given more responsibility, leapfrogging Morato as the first reserve when Nikola Milenkovic or Murillo have been unable to play.
His brilliance has been noticed on the training ground too, with Aina now raving about the Brazilian in his pre-match press conference ahead of the first leg with Villa.
He said: “He’s been wicked, hasn’t he? I think he has been.
“Obviously, at the start of the season, he wasn’t playing as much, so maybe people didn’t see how good he is. But we see him every day in training.
“If he keeps his head down, like I think he will do, he’ll go a long way.”
Forest will be desperately hoping that Cunha can be fit to partner Milenkovic tonight, with Murillo set to miss another game.
The youngster is a Brazilian under-21, and given his recent form for Forest under Pereira, it looks as though the Reds have got themselves another Brazilian gem.
Aina clearly sees the brilliance that Cunha carries around the training ground, and he could become an integral part of the team before too long.
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