Nottingham Forest youngster Ryan Yates has expressed his intention to become a first team player in the near future.

Yates has spent time on loan in League Two with neighbours Notts County, but he's currently helping Scunthorpe United with their League One play off push.

“I have enjoyed my time at Scunthorpe so much,” he told the Scunthorpe Telegraph. “I felt it was a bit of a risk coming here because I was so comfortable at Notts County, but I felt if I want to play for Forest then this is the step up I need to take and I am relishing it."

Yates has made six starts since his January move, scoring once. He caught the eye whilst on loan at Meadow Lane, helping the Magpies to the automatic promotion spots with six goals in 31 starts across all competitions. Now he has his eye set on a much bigger prize.

"I really want to push myself because I want to play for Forest and as high as I can and this was the natural progression. I feel like I am improving so much with the step up so I can’t wait for more. I came here to play minutes so I want to keep hold of the shirt and play as much as I can.”

Midfielder Yates is still only 20-years old and has also enjoyed spells at Shrewsbury and Barrow. His potential was rewarded in January with a new deal that will keep him at the City Ground until 2020.

The Verdict

Yates has huge potential, Notts County desperately wanted to hold on to him in the winter but Forest know if he's to progress, he must be playing higher. He's made himself important at Scunthorpe too, so upon completion of this loan he'll be desperate to return to Forest to fight for a first team place. Age isn't a factor, if he's good enough, he's old enough and early signs are he is every bit as good as he needs to be.