He has not performed to the same level as he did at times last season.
Nottingham Forest were eliminated from the FA Cup Friday night after losing a late Casemiro goal against Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United.
Although Nuno Espírito Santo’s team posed a threat, they were unable to score, leaving the Reds to bear the consequences of squandered opportunities.
Taiwo Awoniyi and Divock Origi both had decent chances to put Forest ahead, but neither could get their shots past United goalkeeper Andre Onana.
Despite the defeat, the Reds performed admirably, and the team is well-positioned to survive if they repeat their performance from last night. One guy stood out for Nuno’s team, providing one of his best performances under the former Wolves manager.
Danilo’s Stats Against Manchester United
Since Nuno’s arrival on December 20th, Brazilian midfielder Danilo has started 11 of 14 games, with the former Palmerias player establishing himself as a starter.
Danilo, who joined the Reds for £20 million in the January transfer window of 2023, has had some up-and-down performances this season, but last night was one of his greatest to yet.
During his 89 minutes on the field last night, he completed 29 passes for an 88% completion rate, the second-highest among Reds players who played more than 45 minutes.
Eight of his 29 passes went into the final third, as Forest attempted to build through the thirds faster than usual and punish Ten Hag’s side.
| Danilo vs Man Utd | |
|---|---|
| Minutes played | 89 |
| Touches | 44 |
| Accurate passes | 29/33 (88%) |
| Chances created | 1 |
| Passes into final 3rd | 8 |
| Duels won | 3 |
| Defensive actions | 5 |
Danilo impressed not only in possession, but also without it, as the midfielder won two tackles as he paired Ryan Yates at the base, allowing players ahead of him to cause issues for the United defence.
The Brazilian also made one interception and won three duels, playing an important role in retrieving possession and moving play forward quickly.
Danilo’s starting point is to lose.
Danilo’s recent performances have demonstrated that he is more than capable of maintaining a consistent starting role for the remainder of the season.
Fellow Reds midfielder Nicolas Dominguez has frequently joined the Brazilian in the two-man midfield. However, he was replaced by Yates for yesterday night’s game, since the team lacked the Argentinian’s continual pressure.
Ibrahim Sangare hasn’t hit the ground running since his big-money move from PSV in the summer, with the Ivorian midfielder suffering injury difficulties before linking up with the national squad ahead of the African Cup of Nations, where he won the trophy as Ivory Coast triumphed.
Sangare’s greatest performance under Nuno came in a 3-1 win over Newcastle United at St James’ Park on Boxing Day, when the midfielder won three tackles and three duels as the club secured a rare away victory, but he hasn’t showed much else.
However, due of his absence since the new year, Danilo has had the perfect opportunity to establish his claim as a starting player under Nuno, with his performance against United last night a significant improvement on what he’s produced under Nuno in previous weeks.
