Chris Hughton has praised the impact Cafu has made since joining Nottingham Forest in the summer.

The midfielder arrived on loan from Olympiacos towards the end of the transfer window, becoming one of 14 new players to arrive at the City Ground.

The 27-year-old had to bide his time at first but has slowly become a key player under Chris Hughton, making 12 appearances for the Reds in all competitions.

10 of those appearances have come as starts in the Championship, and at the weekend, the Portuguese midfielder helped Forest record a big 3-1 home win over Millwall.

Cafu has been deployed as an attacking midfielder since joining the Reds, despite originally being billed as more of a defensive midfielder before arriving in the summer.

His physicality has been a key asset when it has come to driving attacks forward as well as retrieving the ball when his side are without it.

Speaking to Football League World after Saturday's win over Millwall, Hughton praised the impact made by Cafu since his arrival at the City Ground.

He said: "I've been delighted with him. He's been one of the really nice surprise packages.

"I didn't know him too well before I arrived. It took a little while to get him going, which was probably down to me because of where I wanted to play him.

"It's all about getting used to him and getting that trust in him. Since he's come in, he's played in every game since, which shows how pleased we are with him."

The Verdict

Hughton is right. Cafu has probably been the biggest surprise package of the season, especially given the position he is playing in.

Not many would associate him with a classing number 10, but he has been really impressive in recent weeks and seems to be getting better as games go by.

He is yet to score or register an assist, but if he can add those aspects to his game, then Forest have a top player on their hands.