Jota Silva could prove to be an unlikely hero for Nottingham Forest

In the best stories, sometimes the unlikeliest characters write the most memorable chapters.

Nottingham Forest’s marvellous season has been built on the goals of Chris Wood, the saves of Matz Sels, the superhuman defending of Murillo and Nikola Milenkovic and the magic of Morgan Gibbs-White. Not to mention the work of Ola Aina, Neco Williams, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Anthony Elanga on the flanks.

But with the finishing line in sight, a Jack Grealish lookalike with a knack for shaking things up hopes to play a leading role in the race for Champions League football. Forest have a five-point gap to sixth-placed Manchester City with seven games.

Forest lost 2-1 at Aston Villa last weekend but their fine second-half display was inspired by Jota Silva. Replacing the injured Elanga at the interval, the Portuguese scored Forest’s goal and unsettled Villa with his bustling style.

With his headband and floppy hair, Jota looks so similar to Manchester City attacker Grealish that some Villa fans might have wondered why their former hero had suddenly appeared in a Nottingham Forest shirt.

And with Wood and Taiwo Awoniyi’s fitness continuing to cause concern, Nuno Espirito Santo may turn to Jota against Everton at the City Ground this weekend.

Though he has mainly been used wide by Forest as back-up for Elanga or Hudson-Odoi, Jota knows how to operate through the middle and has played there for Portuguese club Vitoria Guimaraes, who earned £6million when he moved to Forest last summer.

While he has started only four times in the league, Jota has managed three goals and an assist this term, at a rate of a goal every 256 minutes.

The 25-year-old’s former coach Joao Ferreria told Mail Sport: ‘Jota grew up as a youth player, but he also spent several periods as a senior playing as a number 9 or in a two-man attack.