Sky Sports pundit Jobi McAnuff has suggested that Nottingham Forest's chances of reaching the play-offs will be boosted by Djed Spence's presence.
The right-back was seemingly set to return to his parent-club Middlesbrough for their scheduled clash with Sheffield United last month due to a Covid-19 outbreak at the Riverside Stadium.
However, this fixture was postponed and Boro manager Chris Wilder has since confirmed that Spence will not be recalled by the club.
A stand-out performer for Forest this season, the defender has played a major role in the club's recent resurgence.
Since Forest's decision to replace Chris Hughton with Steve Cooper, Spence has featured in all but one of the club's league fixtures.
Currently ninth in the Championship standings, the Reds are only six points adrift of the play-off places and will be determined to close this particular gap when they face Millwall on Saturday.
Ahead of this fixture, McAnuff has admitted that he believes that Spence could play a big role for Forest in their push for a top-six finish.
Speaking on the latest episode of the Sky Sports EFL Podcast about the defender, McAnuff said: "Keeping him is going to be absolutely huge for Forest.
"There was talk about him being recalled by Middlesbrough but I think that the fact that between everybody, it seems like there has been a lot of dialogue, he's stated his intent to want to stay there.
"I thought he was absolutely exceptional yesterday [Sunday against Arsenal] and could be a real massive, massive player as he has been this season but in their hunt for the play-offs in the second-half of the season alongside obviously Brennan Johnson down that right-hand side, it's a real potent threat from them."
The Verdict
McAnuff's comments are spot on as Spence's presence could have a major impact on Forest's fortunes during the second half of the season.
In the 21 league games that he has played for Forest this season, the defender has managed to record an impressive WhoScored match rating of 6.94 which has only been bettered by two of his team-mates.
After producing a superb individual performance during Forest's FA Cup victory over Arsenal, Spence will be brimming with confidence heading into this weekend's meeting with Millwall.
Keeping this in mind, it wouldn't be at all surprising if the right-back plays a key role for Reds on Saturday as they aim to seal a positive result at The Den.