It’s fair to say that the season didn’t work out as Nottingham Forest would’ve hoped when they started way back in August.

With a proven manager in Aitor Karanka in charge, combined with some big money recruits from Portugal, many thought they had a real chance of returning to the Premier League.

As we know, the Spaniard was sacked and the summer signings had a mixed time of things.

However, club-record capture Joao Carvalho has shown the undoubted talent he has and he recently revealed that a strong end to the campaign has given him confidence moving forward.

And, that should excite Forest fans.

The former Benfica man was initially on the fringes when Martin O’Neill took over and it understandably frustrated the supporters as the team lacked creativity.

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But, the Irishman used Carvalho in the final few games and he looked superb. His technique and ability on the ball has always been clear to see, however he was now using it to influence the games.

Capable of picking a pass that many others wouldn’t see, or scoring an outrageous goal, the 22-year-old has started to make the decisive contributions that fans anticipated when he arrived for around £13m.

It will certainly have delighted O’Neill and the former Celtic boss quite simply has to build the side around his talented attacking midfielder next season.

Obviously, he does have some weaknesses and he perhaps doesn’t do enough defensively for the team but the positives outweigh the negatives because of his ability on the ball.

Carvalho needs to embrace the pressure and responsibility that brings and his comments suggest he is ready to do just that.

If he can take his recent performances into next season then Forest could have the outstanding player in the division who is capable of inspiring them to promotion.