Nottingham Forest will hope to welcome Murillo back for Thursday’s Europa League semi-final after he completed his recovery from a hamstring problem.
The Brazilian is being courted by a host of football clubs across the continent, and Forest would dearly love to have him back for the run-in.
Vitor Pereira’s men did manage to claim a win at Sunderland without Murillo and also defeated Aston Villa in the first leg of the semi-final without the 23-year-old.
Who was your Man of the Match vs Chelsea?
There are a fair few to choose from!
The Forest squad is one brimming with quality, and after another win, this time at Chelsea, it’s crystal clear that the Reds have a player who arguably has a higher ceiling than Murillo.
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Jair Cunha can surpass Murillo at Forest
It might sound crazy, and it’s not belittling Murillo’s brilliance at Forest, but Cunha is arguably boasting a higher ceiling and his performances of late are proving as such.
Cunha showed his maturity against Chelsea yesterday and managed to play 45 minutes before being wrapped in cotton wool ahead of Thursday’s game with Aston Villa.
The defender made a superb last-ditch tackle at Stamford Bridge to keep Chelsea at bay and finished the game with a pass accuracy of 90.5%, according to WhoScored.
Cunha is defensively calm and composed, and much like Murillo, he’s able to determine when to play out and when to revert to type and clear his lines.
At 21, Cunha has a couple of years on Murillo, and since being handed a show of faith by Pereira, he’s showcased exactly how much potential he has.
Despite his tender years, Cunha has already played at a Club World Cup and boasts appearances for Brazil at youth levels earlier in his career.
Two talented Brazilian defenders at Nottingham Forest but do you agree with this sentiment?
Forest should show faith in Cunha further by letting him replace Murillo
If the time comes for the left-sided player to leave the City Ground in the summer following three seasons on Trentside, Forest should see Cunha as a ready-made replacement.
He already looks extremely well-versed when it comes to operating alongside Nikola Milenkovic, and he could actually save Forest millions.
Forest have been bashed for their recruitment over the last 12 months, with four managers and the appointment of Edu proving pretty chaotic to say the least.
However, the club deserve praise for pushing through the deal to sign Cunha, and he could prove to be one of the best signings the club has made since promotion, and he might even enjoy a better career than Murillo.
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