Boss Steve Cooper has brushed off speculation about the future of Nottingham Forest defender Djed Spence.
The Reds head coach insists it isn’t something he has paid attention to as he remains focused on getting the best out of the Middlesbrough loanee.
Spence is set to spend the full season at the City Ground, but has caught the eye of a number of clubs - at home and abroad - with some standout performances.
Given he has already played for Forest and Boro this term, he would be prevented from representing a third team.
But that hasn’t stopped the likes of Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, Leeds United, Brentford, Southampton, Roma and Inter Milan all apparently taking an interest.
Asked whether the full-back could be distracted by all the transfer talk, Cooper said: “I’m not sure how much of it is true. And if it is, it’s not going to be information which comes to us because we’re not his parent club.
“I’m not sure if any of it is true. It might be, it might not.
“He’s with us now until the end of the season, so I’m only focused on his training, if he plays at the weekend what his performance should look like and just trying to work with a good, young player.
“He’s a really good young guy, and we’re trying to work with him in getting the best out of himself. If he does that, then we’re all benefitting.
“He’s had some good moments for us and some good periods of how he’s played.
“But as I’ve told him and many others, you don’t want to be good for half a season. You need to make sure you put a full one together - that’s when you start thinking about being an established player.
“It’s maybe not even just a season, it’s a period when you’re at a club. Whenever we leave, you want to look back and go, ‘yeah, I worked hard, I did my best and I made sure I was as successful as I could be’.”
