Championship outfit Nottingham Forest handed Arvin Appiah his debut in the EFL Cup clash against Burton Albion – and he promptly scored a goal.
Is Arvin Appiah the next academy prospect to make his name at Nottingham Forest?
In recent years, Patrick Bamford, Oliver Burke, Ben Brereton and Jamaal Lascelles have all emerged from Forest’s prosperous youth system. And the early signs suggest that Appiah could follow in their footsteps.
After some impressive performances for the reserves, not to mention for England during the UEFA U17 European Championships, Appiah made his long-awaited first-team debut on Tuesday night.
And what an impact he made. The 17-year-old was only on the pitch for a matter of minutes before he scored his first senior goal, slotting home a consolation in Forest’s 3-2 EFL Cup fourth round defeat away at Burton Albion.
“It was his first match with the first team and he scored, so that is very good for him,” fellow Forest winger Gil Dias told the club’s official website after the loss at the Pirelli Stadium.
“He is a good player, he is still young, but he is fast and strong. So I think he is going to be a top player.”
Fiorentina loanee Dias was not the only man impressed by Appiah’s first few minutes of first-team football. Manager Aitor Karanka also paid tribute to the highly-rated forward – suggesting that further opportunities could be on the way in the next few months.
With Virgil Gomis scoring six minutes into his debut on loan at Braintree United on Tuesday, this was a very positive week for Nottingham Forest’s next generation.
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