Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper has spoken about loanee Andrey Santos after his lack of game time since his arrival.
The 19-year-old has only made one start for the club, coming against Burnley in the Carabao Cup defeat back in August.
Since his arrival, the Reds have added to their midfield ranks with Nicolas Dominguez and club-record signing Ibrahim Sangare – pushing Santos further down the pecking order.
However, despite their arrivals, Cooper confirmed he’s been impressed by the 19-year-old insisting he’s part of his plans.
Steve Cooper on Andrey Santos
Speaking at his pre-match press conference yesterday, Cooper spoke in detail about the Chelsea youngster.
“He’s been good,” Cooper said. “He’s obviously a really good young player. I had a really good chat with Chelsea (about him) this week. I didn’t realise some stuff had been written about him.
“There’s a lot of new players here and we’re really trying to get the balance right in integrating all the players at the right time, while trying to perform as best we can in every single game to get the results we want. That’s a real process
“With young players, sometimes it can take longer than others to settle in. I’m not saying he’s not, it’s just circumstantial at the moment in some of the games.
“But we’re really enjoying working with him and seeing him in training. We will continue with that process.”
Game time hard to come by for Santos
Chelsea loanee Santos had a solid debut against Burnley in the cup, but it was clear that he needed time to settle into his new side.
Since then, players such as Orel Mangala and Dominguez have had magnificent performances and are fully deserving of their place in the starting XI.
However, Santos may be disappointed with his lack of game time, but he needs to bide his time and take the opportunity with both hands as and when it arises.
