Yahoo News Forgotten Nottingham Forest man speaks out on his future
Nottingham Forest midfielder Lewis O'Brien holds a broad-minded view on leaving the club this summer as he discussed the possibility of a permanent transfer to Middlesbrough.
The 25-year-old signed for Forest for £10m upon the club's return to the Premier League. He was a pivotal cog in the team of Championship play-off final opponents Huddersfield Town, and was given the chance to make step up despite his former club's loss in that tie.
Fast-forward to now and his time at the City Ground has really been a non-starter. He made 17 appearances for Steve Cooper's side, nine of which were as a substitute, then left on loan to DC United for the second half of the 2022/23 campaign.
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Even if this was the case he said he did not regret the transfer, though then left on loan again for the current season to seek out regular minutes, but now closer to home with Middlesbrough back in the second tier.
Meanwhile the situation at his parent club remains clouded. With four matches to go Forest know not if they will be a Premier League or Championship outfit next year, plus new manager Nuno Espirito Santo has not had chance to work with the midfielder.
Understandably, players can only go off current circumstance for the good of their personal careers, and therefore looking at the bigger picture O'Brien has stated he is open to staying on Teesside should an agreement be reached.
"I don't have a clue, I'll have to see what happens in the summer," he said via the Northern Echo, before adding: "I've really enjoyed my time here and the time I've been playing.
"If it's the right time and the right things fall in place, I'd obviously love to come back here."
Whilst on loan O'Brien has found trust from his current manager, as Michael Carrick - a former midfielder himself - has handed him 13 starts on the trot. Boro are currently ninth in the Championship standings and are confirmed to stay in the division next season.
