Reading manager Mark Bowen has hailed the performance of Michael Olise in his side's 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest in the Championship last night.

The Royals headed up to the City Ground last night, on the back of a 2-0 defeat at Millwall last time out which ended a run of nine games unbeaten in all competitions.

Forest looked to have knicked all three points last night when Lewis Grabban put the home side in-front with ten-minutes remaining. But Sam Baldock popped up with an equaliser three-minutes later, his third goal of the season after coming off the bench five-minutes prior.

Speaking to www.readingfc.co.uk after the game, Bowen hailed his side's performance against now 4th-place Forest, and was particularly pleased with Olise:

“I felt it was the right time to give Michael a go – he is such a talented player and he can do anything in his career."

Bowen has given a handful of youngster their chance in the first-team this season, including the likes of 17-year-old Jeriel Dorsett, but Olise had to wait until now for his first league start.

“I have to trust them to put them in the work – not trust them with the ball, because Michael is a massively talented player – but trust him to do the job out of possession.

“I said to him at the final whistle: ‘I know I can trust you now’, because of the shift of work he put in. Defensively, he showed he was years ahead of his time."

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Olise, 18, started on the right of Reading's attacking midfield three, with Ovie Ejaria on his inside and the experience head of Chris Gunter behind him.

And it wasn't only Bowen who was impressed with the 18-year-old, many fans were too - he gave the side some energy and fearlessness that they might've lacked at times this season, and Olise already looks to have a bright future ahead of him.

The verdict

This is something that Reading haven't done enough of in recent seasons, promoting young players and taking a risk on them. Sometimes it doesn't pay-off but on this occasion, it looks like it has done.

Bowen will be hailed for giving Olise the start last night, and he looks to have unearthed a real talent in doing so. Reading fans can expected to see a lot more of Olise in the second-half of the season, and expect to see him getting better each week.