
Nottingham Forest teenager could be handed his first-team debut against Ipswich after Nuno hint.
With the FA Cup getting closer to the latter stages, Nuno Espirito Santo will be thinking hard about his team selection to balance squad strength and rotation.
While Chris Sutton expects Forest to beat Ipswich, it’s certainly not a foregone conclusion, given the difficult balance Espirito Santo will have to strike between keeping his stars fit and ready to face Manchester City the following Saturday.
Taiwo Awoniyi has recovered from his injury against Exeter City in the previous round of the FA Cup, so he will be fighting for a starting spot. However, Jota Silva struggled against Exeter so a spot in the squad to face Ipswich won’t be guaranteed.
A cup run would certainly be of interest to Forest fans, but the Reds boss may be reluctant to commit his first team to the tie with the tightness of the Premier League table, with four points separating Forest from dropping out of the Champions League places.
The debate about team selection will rage on until the starting XI is announced, but Espirito Santo has just dropped a slight hint on his thoughts.
Nuno Espirito Santo could rotate once more for the FA Cup
The opportunity of game time in the cup competitions is clearly an important one, evidenced by Ibrahim Sangare’s excellent performance against Exeter as he continued his rehabilitation from injury.
Forest are into the deeper rounds of the cup now, though, but Espirito Santo showed no signs of thinking any differently about the tie when speaking to the press on Friday.
He said: “It is a good opportunity for some players due to the schedule, but let’s assess and try to make a good decision for the game.”
When asked specifically about using the first team, the Forest manager’s response was particularly interesting, saying: “Everybody is first team – there is no difference between players. It’s always the approach for each game to see what is best and to assess – to see how the players are and to look at your opponent and try to make the good decision.”
Whilst he could be referring to players such as Ramon Sosa, who hasn’t received too much football as of late, there is a possibility we could see an emerging talent from the Forest Academy seize their opportunity.
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