Nottingham Forest are hopeful a loan move to the MLS for midfielder Lewis O’Brien will get over the line in the next couple of days.
The 24-year-old had a number of possible options in America, but is closing on a switch to DC United. It comes after a January deadline day deal with Blackburn Rovers collapsed.
O’Brien has been in limbo since then, with the Championship side failing in their bid to overturn the English Football League’s decision not to approve the move due to an issue over the timing of the paperwork being filed. He was also left out of the Reds’ 25-man Premier League squad, leaving him facing the prospect of no competitive football for the next few months.
READ MORE: Brennan Johnson injury update provided ahead of Newcastle clash
READ MORE: Forest have Bundesliga ace 'on their list'
“Hopefully we will find out in the next 48 hours, in terms of something definite happening in the MLS,” Forest head coach Steve Cooper said. “Fingers crossed it goes through.
“He deserves that opportunity to go and play. We all know his situation and how he’s been let down. If he’s able to get more than a few games in between now and the end of the season, it will be a real positive. It will be a great experience for him as well.”
Although the MLS campaign has only just started, any deal with Wayne Rooney’s DC United is likely to run until the summer, to tie in with the English football calendar. O’Brien has continued to train with the Reds while his future has been uncertain.
Cooper has previously accused Blackburn of “letting down” the summer signing, saying: “The lad has been completely let down and so have we in a way, because we agreed Lewis could go and play somewhere else - which I wasn't 100 percent in favour of but I understand where he was and what he wanted to do, so we made the decision that he could go. He had a lot of offers, as you can imagine.
“He made the choice and then it didn't get through and he has been let down. I personally, and I know nobody from the sporting side, has heard a word from Blackburn, whether that is an explanation or an apology. I don't think we would behave like that.
“As I said straight after the transfer window, we won't let Lewis down. Others might, but we won't.”
O’Brien joined the Reds in the summer from Huddersfield Town. He has made 17 appearances in the Garibaldi, last featuring as a substitute against Manchester United in the Carabao Cup.
Should O'Brien have had more of a chance at Forest? Tell us in the comments below
READ NEXT
