Ryan Yates took another big step towards returning to the Nottingham Forest starting line-up with an hour for the club’s Under-21s on Monday afternoon.
Midfielder Yates had been unavailable through illness since January before returning with 20-minute cameo outings in the draw with Everton and defeat to Tottenham. He needed more game-time to get him geared up to play a major role in the club’s relegation battle, and he got just that in a Premier League Cup quarter-final win over Bristol City.
The 25-year-old played 66 minutes in the game before being withdrawn, the Reds seeing out a goalless draw over 120 minutes before triumphing on penalties 6-5. Oli Hammond converted in the second round of sudden death before Aaron Bott made the crucial save to send Forest through.
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More minutes for Yates should help him get closer to full match fitness ahead of this Friday’s Premier League clash with Newcastle, and ahead of the relegation battle over the coming months. Speaking after his comeback in the draw with Everton, boss Steve Cooper said on Yates: “We missed him, in games and in training. We missed his positive influence and just who Ryan Yates is.
“He's still not 100 percent, so we have to be, not careful with him, but sensible with him. But he's back in the mix and he’s training, and vying to commit as much as he can. The stronger he gets, the better it will be for the team, that will be a good thing.
“It was nice to see him come on and get a great reception from the supporters. That will have meant a lot to him. It was good to see him back playing.
“He normally does have a positive impact on games in one way, shape or form. But like everybody else, we need everybody to be at it and committed.”
For Forest Under-21s, they now await a semi-final clash. Blackburn, Fulham, and Brentford are the other three sides remaining in the competition.
If he is available to, would you like to see Yates start on Friday? Let us know in the comments section below.
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