Former Nottingham Forest favourite Chris Cohen has predicted big things for the Reds’ young-midfield talent Ryan Yates, report the Nottingham Post.

Cohen, who coaches the club’s under-23 side, says that the 21-year-old has all the potential to go on to play at the elite level of the game.

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“His main quality is his tenacity,” he said.

“He picks up a lot of free-kicks, he is economical with the ball and he knows what he is good at. He does not try to overdo things.

“Watching him play and watching him grow, I think he has a good chance of making it at the highest level.”

Yates only picked up his first start for the club in January when he was thrown in by Martin O’Neill to face Brentford in the 2-0 home win.

He impressed, and has started every match since, becoming a fan favourite and very highly-rated.

Forest’s season looks set to peter out disappointingly, however, with the Reds sat in 11th place and three points off the top-six with eight matches remaining.

The Verdict

I think Cohen is spot on here.

Yates is the type of midfielder that every club loves to have in their team and there are not too many who can do it to an elite level.

Whilst he is not quite at that level yet, Yates definitely has all the tools required to get there in the next few years.