When Nottingham Forest announced that they had signed one of Benfica's most exciting young talents last summer, their supporters had every right to be excited.

Having impressed during his time in Portugal, Joao Carvalho seemingly had all the ingredients needed to thrive in the Championship.

An intricate dribbler who also has an eye for a pass, it was hoped that the 22-year-old would be the man to take the Reds back to the Premier League.

Yet in what was a testing debut season in England, Carvalho struggled to make a lasting impression for Martin O'Neill's side.

Although it may be too soon to write off the midfielder as a flop, it is imperative that he learns from these three things in order to bounce back next year...

Consistency is key in the Championship

With the Championship being a very unforgiving league at times, it is imperative that Carvalho improves his consistency during the 2019/20 campaign.

Whereas the Portugal under-21 international did manage to provide eight assists for his team-mates whilst also finding the back of the net on four occasions, this return is simply not good enough for a player who cost Forest £13.5m (via Transfermarkt).

By being more clinical in-front of goal next year, there is no reason why he cannot help the club launch a sustained bid for promotion and thus repay the fee that they forked out on him in 2018.

Talent only gets you so far

Being a graduate from a youth academy which has produced the likes of Ederson, Bernardo Silva and Joao Cancelo in recent years, it would be naive to suggest that Carvalho isn't a supremely talented player.

Yet in one of the most competitive leagues in world football, natural skill can only get you so far if you are unwilling to put in the hard yards for your side.

Therefore, with this in mind, Carvalho must be prepared to give his all for Forest over the coming years as if he doesn't, he could end up ruining his career before it has even started.

Learning directly from O'Neill could be the answer

Although it was O'Neill's predecessor Aitor Karanka who convinced Carvalho to make the switch to the East Midlands, the 67-year-old could be the man to transform the midfielder's fortunes.

Having played a defining role in helping the likes of Ashley Young, Henrik Larsson and Emile Heskey realise their full potential, he will be confident of doing the same over the coming years with the former Benfica star.

Yet O'Neil will only be able to work his magic if Carvalho demonstrates a willingness to commit himself to Forest for the foreseeable future.