“You don’t need me to tell you that Gio starting & playing after what has been an absolutely abysmal time in terms of this loan to Forest is a good thing, they have looked at him and decided he is not somebody they count on”- Gio Reyna told he can’t salvage Forest loan as Alexi Lalas claims Reds have already decided they can’t ‘count on’ USMNT star
Alexi Lalas says it is too late for USMNT star Gio Reyna to turn around his “abysmal” Nottingham Forest loan spell.
Lalas says too late for Reyna to turnaround spell. Says Forest will have already made up minds on playe as winger starts and provides assist in crucial game
The 21-year-old has found playing time hard to come by since joining Forest on loan from Borussia Dortmund in January, but was given his first start by manager Nuno Espirito Santo in place if the injured Anthony Elanga for Forest’s latest Premier League clash with Wolverhampton Wanderers. Reyna took advantage of his chance by providing a pinpoint corner for Morgan Gibbs-White to head Forest’s first goal in a 2-2 draw.
The USMNT star made a fine impression in his 70 minutes on the field but Lalas believes there’s little Reyna can do now to change anyone’s minds on his future at the City Ground.
Speaking on his State of the Union podcast, Lalas said: “You don’t need me to tell you that Gio starting, and Gio playing after what has been an absolutely abysmal time in terms of this loan to Forest is a good thing. Yes it’s a good thing. Does it change who Gio is as a player? No. Does it change how Forest in general look at him going forward? No. I think they have gotten plenty of looks at what Gio is. And I think they have made the determination long ago that this is not somebody for the long haul. Not somebody they want to count on.”
Reyna had been confined to cameo appearances from the bench as Nuno has opted for the speed and power of the likes of Elanga and Divock Origi as stuttering form and a four-point deduction for breaching financial sustainability rules have seen Forest firmly entrenched in a relegation scrap. But Saturday’s start came as a surprise vote of confidence in the young American, and while Elanga is likely to return this week, an expanded role for Reyna could well be on the cards.
While Lalas is probably correct that Reyna is unlikely to be in Nottingham next season, recent history shows that things can change very quickly under the ownership of Evangelos Marinakis.
Reyna may again have to await his chance from the bench in Forest’s points-deduction derby against fellow strugglers Everton at Goodison Park on Sunday afternoon, in a game that could have a huge bearing on this season’s race to avoid relegation.
