I saw Nottingham Forest gem show exactly why Nuno has already raved about him during EFL Trophy clash

Football fans across the country believe Nottingham Forest’s academy managers are among the best in the country.

   Category 1 status means the academy is among the best in the country in the Forest and Premier League competitions.

   For the past two seasons, Forest have competed in the EFL Trophy and that competition was reasserted last night.

   At the start of the campaign, Forest beat Carlisle United last time out in the competition and the three points were secured in style.

   No such luck last night as Forest twice relinquished the lead to lose 4-2 to EFL bottom club Morecambe.

   Kyle McAdam has pitched in the last round of games and had one opposing start last night.

   Fin Back and an own goal from Paul Lewis put Forest twice ahead, but goals from Ben Tolitt, Charlie Brown and Hallam Hope saw the hosts level.

   Once again, there were some top performers and Nuno Espirito Santo might like to see a clip of this one.

   Joe Gardner shows why he impressed Nun Espirito Santo last season

   Gardner was back in action last night and will surely be knocking on the door to go out on loan in January.

   The youngster impressed James Perch in the first round of the EFL Trophy and was in fine form again last night.

   He was Forest’s best player in the competition and we saw him lively throughout the game playing as a striker.

   Forest adopted a 4-2-3-1 – similar to what Espirito Santo likes to use up front, and it seemed to suit Gardner.

   Sofa Score completely echoed our thoughts, rating him as the team’s best player and pointing out that he completed six of his seven dribbles on the night.

   He also had 54 touches and completed 21 of 26 passes he attempted.

   Gardner clearly wasn’t fazed by playing against men either, winning 11 of the 16 floor duels he took part in during the match.

   Gardner has the qualities to go all the way

   For any young player, the challenge of playing senior football at Forest will become more difficult the longer the club stays in the Premier League.

   However, with moderate usage Espirito Santo wanted to instill some confidence in the young lads.

   Zach Abbott is currently on England Under-19 duty and has played in the Carabao Cup this season.

   Otherwise, goalkeeper Aaron Bott is now very much the third choice stopper and often travels to matches with the team.

   Gardner could be the one to really convince Espirito Santo to give him a shot at the team’s future.

   He played for the Reds in the FA Cup last season and clearly knows all about his strengths.

   Forest have Chris Wood and Taiwa Awoniyi as their two forwards and an injury to either could force Gardner into action.