Adrian Clarke speaks out on Keinan Davis’ time at Nottingham Forest so far

Keinan Davis has exceeded the expectations of most since arriving at Nottingham Forest on loan from Aston Villa in the opening exchanges of the January transfer window.

Once again, Steve Cooper deserves enormous credit for taking a younger player to new heights under his tutelage and Davis looks set to be a key player in ensuring Forest book their spot in the top six before the season is out.

The loan market has been utilised incredibly well this season at the City Ground but there would have been some concerns over the club’s promotion push when Lewis Grabban picked up an injury.

However, Davis’ performances have meant that that has almost been forgotten and with Sam Surridge also arriving in January, the Reds look healthier than ever at the top of the pitch.

Adrian Clarke explained how important Davis has been to Forest when he appeared on The Totally Football League Show.

He said: “He needed the move and it’s worked out perfectly.

“He’s been excellent even when he’s not been scoring goals, he’s been a great platform for the rest of the team to play off, he’s been used from the start for 60-70 minutes.

“‘Give us everything, rough up those centre halves and then if you’re out of gas we’ll bring you off and replenish it with someone else’.”

“It’s been a wonderful loan signing.”

It will be interesting to see what the next step is beyond the end of the season for Max Lowe, Djed Spence, James Garner, Philip Zinckernagel and Keinan Davis who have all enjoyed very productive seasons on loan at the City Ground.

The Verdict

Forest finally appear to be a club in the ascendency both on and off the pitch and their recruitment this season has accelerated that.

Davis, 24, has a contract at Aston Villa running until the summer of