Ben Osborn has backed Joe Lolley to get back to his best in a Nottingham Forest shirt.

Osborn played with Lolley at Forest for a year-and-a-half, but has remained friends with the winger ever since his move to Sheffield United in 2019.

Lolley scored 11 goals and added 11 assists in 2018/19 - his first full season at the City Ground. The following season, in 2019/20, he scored nine goals and registered nine assists in the Championship.

But last season, Lolley faced difficulty with a number of injury problems, and scored one goal in 28 Championship games.

The winger has shown glimpses of his old self under Steve Cooper, though, with Forest's new head coach yielding seven points from nine so far.

Speaking to Nottinghamshire Live, Osborn put faith in his former teammate, saying: "I’m 100% sure he can get back to that kind of form.

"When I’ve spoken to him recently, he seems delighted with Steve Cooper. He says he’s already had quite a few chats with him and is really excited to get going.

"It’s probably what he needs. A bit of a fresh voice and fresh ideas. And maybe a bit more attacking impetus for Joe, because that’s where he does his best work.

"I think he’s looking forward to it."

Osborn, meanwhile, has been a key player under Slavisa Jokanovic at Bramall Lane this season, and the Blades travel to face Lolley at the City Ground on the 2nd of November.

The Verdict

Lolley is very much a confidence player, and when he's picking up injuries and not playing well, of course his head is going to drop.

But his performances in 2018/19 and 2019/20 were nothing short of superb, and he was undoubtedly one of the best wingers in the Championship at the time.

Cooper has deployed a very attacking system in the early stages of his tenure and I cannot see that changing anytime soon.

Lolley, as Osborn says, should benefit from that.