Midfielder Ryan Yates is reaping the rewards of his hard work as he continues to impress for Nottingham Forest.
Against Liverpool in the FA Cup on Sunday, the 24-year-old came close to extending his purple patch of finding the back of the net. He had a header saved and saw a penalty appeal waved away in the second half of the Reds’ 1-0 defeat.
Prior to that, Yates had scored in each of his last four appearances, taking his tally to eight goals for the season so far. That run included a fabulous strike from outside the box in the 4-0 rout over Reading.
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The academy graduate has been in fine form under head coach Steve Cooper, earning a new deal until 2025 in the process. And teammate Jack Colback says it is testament to the commitment Yates his shown towards improving his own game.
“He’s been in great form. It’s great for Yatsey. And great he has signed his new deal. He loves the club,” Colback told NottinghamshireLive.
“He’s probably surprised himself with the goalscoring run he’s had - four in four. I said to him after his strike against Reading, ‘you’ve finally scored a proper goal!’. The other ones were little tap-ins weren’t they, with his head!
“Seriously, though, I’ve known Ryan a good three years now and he’s such a great lad. Everyone loves him in the dressing room.
“He’s a top professional. And he’s getting the rewards for the hard work he puts in, so fair play to him.
“We’ve spoken before about how he’s progressed; as midfielders, we chat. When you first start, I think it’s natural when you’re younger, when you get on the ball you don’t want to lose it. You just take the first option. He’s really focused on being more progressive with the ball and the balls he plays.
“He’s just showing that he’s full of confidence at the moment. He might make mistakes, but he’s not the type of lad to then hide on the pitch, he’ll come out and get on the ball, try things again.
“He probably doesn’t get the credit he deserves. He’s a good player.”
