Chairman Nigel Doughty believes Nottingham Forest have their best crop of youngsters coming through the academy ranks in more than a decade.
The club has a proud history of nurturing young players, most notably during the era when Paul Hart was in charge of the academy when the likes of Jermaine Jenas, Michael Dawson, Wes Morgan and Andy Reid burst onto the scene. Lewis McGugan, James Perch, Matt Thornhill and Brendan Moloney have been more recent graduates of the set-up and Doughty is hopeful another generation of talent is poised to make an impact.
"The players we have coming through the ranks now, in the Under-16 and above age groups, look to be the best crop we have had since I have been at the football club," Doughty told the Nottingham Post. "We are seeing a lot of them gaining international recognition at junior levels and we are battering teams, including Premier League academy sides.
"You don't want to single out individuals because they all come through at different rates but the encouraging thing is there is a group of them. It is not just one Jenas in there, we are confident we have a very special group on our hands. I think possibly next season we might start to see one or two of them coming through. If not next season, maybe the year after. It looks very exciting."
Source: PA
Source: PA