David Prutton believes top Premier League clubs will be approaching Nottingham Forest next season asking them to take their top young prospects on loan if they do not win promotion.
That is the verdict of former Reds midfielder Prutton, who says the work Steve Cooper has done with loan players shows Forest is the perfect place to improve young prospects who need time out on loan.
Speaking on this week's Garibaldi Red podcast, Prutton pointed to the example of Keinan Davis, who arrived with a pretty blank CV when it came to goals, but now has four in 13 games for the Reds having joined on loan from Aston Villa.
Davis scored twice against Reading at the weekend, with the second goal showing the hallmarks of a man in the form of his life after he beat two men and then curled the ball into the far corner.
"He's 24 but I think he's about to get to three figures for career appearances (he has played 98 games). There's no pre-judgement there," Prutton said.
"From a goalscoring point of view he's at just about double figures (he has 11). For someone to be that age and not played 100 games, he's obviously hit on something at Forest that's getting the best out of him.
"It's no disgrace not to be in the Villa team. Look at how much they've spent on Ings and Buendia.
"So many things can come into playing and not playing the assumed amount of games for a 24-year-old.
"The second goal is magnificent. The stick that was used to beat Keinan was that when a chance came, it was a bit more blunt force than anything else (when it came to finishing). That second goal is confidence oozing from every pore.
"The finish is a touch of class that he's probably not had chance to show on a consistent basis.
"Leading the line for a gigantic club like Nottingham Forest seems to be bringing the best out of him.
"You look at the players Steve got on loan at Swansea like Marc Guehi and Rhian Brewster. You'd heard a bit about them, but you watch them in real time and think 'oh my word'.
"He's doing the same thing with players at Forest. Hopefully this is a moot point and Forest are in the Premier League next year, but if they aren't then big, big Premier League clubs can go to Steve and say 'can you help develop these' and that's beneficial for Forest as well."
How much is Keinan Davis now worth in the summer? Have your say in the comments section below
Listen to the full podcast here or watch it here.
