“Absolutely faultless” – Ryan Yates delivers verdict on Nottingham Forest winter signing

Nottingham Forest midfielder Ryan Yates has heaped praise on Steve Cook for his conduct both on and off the pitch after making a good impact since joining from AFC Bournemouth in January, speaking to Nottinghamshire Live.

With the likes of Lloyd Kelly, Gary Cahill and Chris Mepham ahead of him in the pecking order, the ex-Bournemouth captain was effectively deemed surplus to requirements at the Vitality Stadium with the promotion chasers already well-stocked in this position.

Steve Cooper’s side took full advantage of this by moving early in the winter window to secure his services – and has slotted in seamlessly alongside Joe Worrall and Scott McKenna at the heart of the East Midlands outfit’s defence.

Unfortunately, his involvement looks set to be limited between now and the end of this term with the centre-back out of action for the next month after sustaining an injury against Reading, an injury that actually looked worse initially than it was.

This could mean his time in action could be limited to just the play-offs if Steve Cooper’s men manage to force their way into the top six and manage to retain their place there until the end of the campaign.

Despite only having a limited window of opportunity to impress because of this setback, Yates has nothing but good things to say about his teammate who has become a crucial asset in the backline.

The midfielder said: “Look at Steve Cook, for example. He’s been absolutely faultless.

“As a person and as a player, on and off the pitch, he gives so much. He’s such a top guy.

“He’s just one of those people you can rely on.”

The Verdict:

Cook seems like a good character both on and off the pitch and judging by his social media, he seems to be a real family man.

He’s the type of