Nottingham Forest’s latest friendly brought them one step closer to their Premier League start against Bournemouth on Friday night.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side drew 0-0 with La Liga club Villarreal in what proved to be a tough test for the Reds.
Pre-season performances have been inconsistent, but their efforts are undeniable, with Anthony Elanga confessing Forest conducted double sessions in the 40°C heat of Spain.
And it appears that the hard effort put in earlier this summer is paying off, with some stunning displays at the City Ground on Friday.
Forest may not have won, but one player stood out in front of their home crowd.
The £40,000-per-week player truly excelled in Forest vs Villarreal.
With only two weeks until Forest’s 2024/25 season begins, Nuno fielded a strong starting lineup against the Spanish side.
The starting XI played slightly over an hour before the Forest manager began to make changes.
This could be a valid option for the starting lineup against Bournemouth in a few weeks.
The defence included a fresh signing. Nikola Milenkovic’s replacement at left-back was Ola Aina, who put forth a strong performance.
After reporting on the game, journalist Paul Taylor took to social media to express his admiration for the £40,000-per-week full-back, Aina.
“Ola Aina delivered another stunning performance tonight… He’s also outdone Murillo in terms of huge shorts,” according to The Athletic writer.
Nottingham Forest can yet add more players this summer.
Forest have been one of the busiest clubs in the Premier League transfer market, adding six new players.
Of course, Marko Stamenic left immediately on loan, but the Reds still have about a month to make any other signings.
However, this could indicate that Forest still has time to lose some of their players before the deadline.
And it has been alleged that Forest have significantly dropped their valuation on Murillo as Chelsea approaches.
