The Frenchman may not be on the Forest touchline for much longer, but young striker Ben Brereton will be hoping he gets a stay of execution.
The rise of Oliver Burke, Ben Osborn and Matty Cash to the Nottingham Forest first-team have given hope to their young stars, talented striker Ben Brereton told the Nottingham Post.
Forest may have endured a dismal run of form in recent weeks, with manager Philippe Montanier heavily tipped to pay with his job, but the Frenchman has earned the respect of the majority of the club’s fans for providing the platform for the next generation of talents to stake their claim.
Montanier has already increased the pace of Burke’s rapid progression to the point where he eventually became the most expensive Scottish footballer of all time when departing for RB Leipzig this summer, while also giving Cash and young defender Alex Iacovitti a taste of first-team action this season.
And the 51-year-old, who helped develop the likes of Antoine Griezmann and Asier Illaramendi at Real Sociedad before presiding over Ousmane Dembele’s startling improvement at Rennes, admitted last month that Brereton could follow in Burke’s footsteps and the centre-forward has now returned the praise, saying the presence of the Frenchman has given him the belief that he can step up to the senior squad sooner rather than later.
“It is good to have a manager who will give young players a chance; you know that you have the opportunity to push for a first team place if you can impress him,” the 17-year-old told the Nottingham Post.
“I am a second year pro, so I should still be playing with the under-18s, so it is a big step up, it is more physical. But it I just want to keep working hard and keep progressing. I am working on my upper body strength, so hopefully that will help with my game.
“How close am I to getting in that first team? All I can do is keep working hard; keep doing my best. If I can do that, hopefully I will earn my chance.”
Brereton has been in prolific form for the club’s Under-23s this season, netting four in a recent outing against QPR, and the promising poacher admitted that working under former Forest striker Jack Lester at academy level has honed his instincts in front of goal.
However, giving out another debut to another youngster is unlikely to keep Montanier safe from the axe if results do not improve by the time US businessman John Jay Moores finalises his expected takeover.
Brereton, as well as the club’s fans, will just be hoping that Montanier’s legacy remains if he does indeed depart.
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