Sky Sports pundit Andy Hinchcliffe has admitted that he believes that Steve Cooper will have a task on his hands to transform Nottingham Forest's fortunes if he is appointed as the club's new manager.

The former Swansea City boss has been heavily linked with the vacancy at the City Ground this month following the Reds' decision to part ways with Chris Hughton.

A report from Sky Sports on Saturday revealed that Forest are expected to announce Cooper as their new boss after agreeing to pay a compensation fee of £1.2m to Swansea.

If the 41-year-old is handed over the reins at Forest, he will need to help the club push on in the Championship following an extremely underwhelming start to the 2021/22 campaign.

The Reds finally managed to seal their first league victory of the season last Saturday as they sealed a 2-0 victory over Huddersfield Town.

Currently bottom of the second-tier standings, Forest know that a failure to deliver the goods on a consistent basis in the coming months could result in them being dragged into a relegation battle.

Making reference to Cooper, Hinchcliffe has admitted that the Welshman may find it difficult to get the best out of a squad which is currently made up of players signed by several different managers.

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Speaking on the latest episode of the Sky Sports EFL Podcast, the 52-year-old said: "If it is to be Steve Cooper, that's going to be a challenge for him because he's not really been used to working with an amalgamated group or squad of players.

"He is very good with young players, we saw with him bringing in loan players at Swansea.

"So that for Steve, if he does take it, is going to be a real challenge as well.

"Is he going to be able to bring all of those different players together and make them a team?"

The Verdict

When you consider that Forest's current crop of players includes individuals who were signed by Sabri Lamouchi, Aitor Karanka and Hughton, Cooper will unquestionably need to work his magic at the City Ground.

However, when you consider that the ex-England Under-17 boss managed to guide Swansea to the play-off final last season, there is no reason why he cannot go on to achieve a relative amount of success with the Reds if he is appointed as their new manager.

Whilst it wouldn't be at all surprising if Cooper decides to stamp his own authority on Forest's squad next year, he will be confident in his ability to steady the ship before the window opens.

Cooper will also fancy his chances of getting the very best out of academy graduates Brennan Johnson and Alex Mighten who both possess a great deal of potential.