Nottingham Forest goalkeeper Matt Turner played for the United States Men’s National Team on Monday night in a crucial Copa America match.
Uruguay were the opponents as the Stars and Stripes attempted to advance to the knockout stages of the event they are hosting.
Sadly for Turner, things did not go as planned.
It’s been a dismal six months for the Forest goalkeeper, who has lost his City Ground spot and is now forced to face the criticism on a global scale.
Uruguay won 1-0 in controversial fashion, and following the game, there were numerous complaints on Turner’s performance.
Following Matt Turner’s withdrawal from Copa America, the US media delivers a verdict.
Turner is yearning for a confidence boost from anywhere.
He was at fault for a goal in the USA’s second Copa America match against Panama and was replaced by former Forest player Ethan Horvath due to an injury.
He did return to face Uruguay, but he did not cover himself in glory.
Mathias Oliveira’s goal appeared to be offside, but he was allowed to score after Turner pushed a poor shot into his path.
The Forest man did not appear to face much condemnation from the national media, however some comments circulated.
CBS Sports stated: “Rarely tested on the internet. The one time the ball did reach Matt Turner, he surrendered a rebound from which Uruguay scored. You simply need to get it out of the middle of the pitch.”
According to ESPN, “After suffering a leg injury against Panama, Turner’s status was a huge story coming into the game.” While his ball delivery was inconsistent at times, he was completely fine in terms of shot stopping and was not to blame for Uruguay’s goal.”
Finally, Goal stated: “Didn’t look himself due to injury, and his distribution was a little poor as a result. Could he have done better with the goal? Possibly, as his first save went directly to Oliveira.”
Forest has to dump Turner.
Looking at these comments, it’s evident that Turner will never improve his distribution.
He cost Forest several goals last season with this below-par attribute, and passing ability is a given in modern game.
Turner is already 30, and unfortunately, this aspect of his game is unlikely to improve much more.
With Carlos Miguel likely to join the club and Matz Sels proving quite capable last season. It is critical that Forest try to get rid of Turner this summer.
Nothing against a player who is clearly a decent character, but signing him from Arsenal for £10 million may be the worst commercial decision Forest have made since promotion.
He falls far short of the level required to keep goal for the club, and maybe some offers will arrive this summer.
