Chris Wood endured an inauspicious debut for Nottingham Forest as he was a surprise starter in the 1-1 draw at Bournemouth.
Wood joined on loan for the rest of the season initially from Newcastle United and was thrown straight into Steve Cooper's XI at the Vitality Stadium.
He struggled to make an impact on the game, but former Forest midfielder David Prutton says that is no surprise and Wood remains a fine signing.
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"If anyone watched Newcastle a year ago and how they moved away from trouble, Chris was a big part in them looking a different proposition to how they did under Steve Bruce," he said on the latest Garibaldi Red podcast.
"It wasn't just his goals. He strikes me as a player who between the width of the six yard box, you make sure the ball is there for him. He'll work his socks off too.
"It's great to have debut that is one for the ages but it sets unrealistic expectations. The flipside is, if he doesn't set the world alight there are preconceived notions about him.
"He was the top scorer with Leeds in the Championship. He went and asserted himself in the Premier League at Burnley and did the same with Newcastle. Forest have got a really good player and I hear he's a really good teammate as well.
"The fact he had one training session, or two, you've got enough on your plate when you join a club. He's probably got no clue how Forest play. If he's coming to a different way of working, it might take him a while to get up to speed."
Fellow panellist Darren Fletcher echoed that viewpoint saying the New Zealand international needs time and for Forest to play to his strengths as a target man.
"You cannot judge Chris Wood based on that performance at all. You've got to give him a few games. Likewise, you can't anoint Danilo as the next Fernandinho after what we saw," he said.
"Let's give it a bit of time and give Chris time to get his feet under the table. He will play with his back to goal and you can play into him. You can't really spend the rest of the season with one main striker in Sam Surridge. Taiwo Awoniyi is going to be out for a few months.
"You don't know how long it will take him to get back to where he wants to be. Chris' role won't predominantly be about the goals he gets. I think he'll be used in different ways to make the parts of the team better. He'll be a good set piece presence in both boxes."
You can listen to the full episode here or watch it here.
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