Nottingham Forest have a brilliant youth academy and there will be plenty more youngsters emerging through the rank in the future. Now, the club have Category One academy status and the future looks bright.
After a pretty solid start to the Premier League 2 this season, people are starting to notice some Forest youngster. Furthermore, the club also have an under-18 setup to be very proud of.
With the season now in full flow for the under-21s and under-18s, we’ve looked at three Forest youngsters that it’d be worth keeping an eye on this season.
3 Nottingham Forest youngsters to keep an eye on during 2023/24
Ateef Konate
Dave Rogers used to coach at Forest and after a win over Derby during his time in charge, he called him ‘calmness personified’ after a mature performance.
Konate is now 22-years-old and this season will be a big one for the youngster. He wasn’t loaned out and now he will likely be a main focal point in the under-21s this season.
The versatile forward has a lot to offer the Reds. The fact he’s now 22 could make life a bit difficult for him at Forest but it will certainly be intriguing to see how he goes this season.
Josh Powell
The youngster went on the club’s pre-season tour to Spain and he was forced to play in several friendlies with the club searching for a left-back.
Powell is an all-action sort of player and his energy caught the eye during the close season games.
Now, he has a job to do with the under-21s this season. He scored against Carlisle in the EFL Trophy last midweek and the future looks very bright indeed.
Joe Gardner
The talented player was brilliant in the EFL Trophy win over Carlisle and he also looks set for a bright future. He won 10 duels during that contest and his performance didn’t go unnoticed.
Gardner is another versatile performer who is perhaps still finding his best position. The 18-year-old has only recently stepped up to the under-21s this season.
He already looks like a very quality player and there will be more to come from the teenager as the season progresses.
