The defender appears the perfect fit for Everton – but Nottingham Forest know how important he can be.
Mark Warburton may have only overseen two Championship games at the helm of Nottingham Forest but the impact of the former Brentford and Rangers boss is already clear to see.
Forest have a plan in place, a designated style of football and a philosophy to fall back on. Rangers supporters may have lamented Warburton for sticking rigidly to his passing principles but, after less than a month at the City Ground, Forest fans are already on board with his new approach.
Travelling to the discretely dangerous Preston North End on Saturday, the visitors dominated 60 per cent possession in one of their most coherent performances of the season. In fact, the 1-1 scoreline does Forest a disservice.
And while the stand-out performances of out-of-contract midfield duo David Vaughan and Chris Cohen drew the most praise, their almost peerless use of the ball suggesting they can play a major role in Warburton’s possession-based style, the future looks bright too for their 20-year-old team-mate.
Warburton has already put emphasis on building from the back and, fortunately, talented young defender Joe Worrall has shown that he possesses the composure and the passing range to thrive in the new system.
He may have earned a reputation for being something of an old-school, kick-and-rush centre-half schooled in the art of ‘getting rid’, but Worrall demonstrated on Saturday that he does indeed have more to his game. His pass completion rate against Preston, 81 per cent, represented a notable increase from his seasonal average of 75 per cent.
Warburton already appears to be the right man to release his potential.
The concern, however, is that Everton have been tracking the youngster for some time, according to the Daily Mirror. And, since John Stones’ departure, they are on the lookout for a defender comfortable in possession.
Yet, if Warburton wants to bring his philosophy to life at the City Ground, keeping Worrall is a must.
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