After the win, Nuno Espirito Santo appeared to be having some fun with Nottingham Forest forward Callum Hudson-Odoi, clearly feeling relieved.
Fulham thrashed Forest 5-0 at Craven Cottage in December. Evangelos Marinakis throws his pass into a bush on his way out of that one, and last night’s mission was retribution.
For Forest, Hudson-Odoi has really taken off. At the City Ground, he scored the first goal after only nine minutes as the Reds overcame the Cottagers 3-1 on Trentside.
Remarkably, the 23-year-old was only purchased for £3 million during the summer. After a terrible season with Bayer Leverkusen, Chelsea made the decision to let him go.
When the England under-17 team won the World Cup in 2017, Steve Cooper managed the winger, and Forest moved in to sign him.
It appears that Hudson-Odoi has had a great time playing football at Forest this season. We noticed something that Espirito Santo performed during the match following last night’s victory.
What Nuno Espirito Santo did to Callum Hudson-Odoi after Forest win
The 23-year-old, however, was unable to finish the match. He was relentlessly pursued all night long, and eventually Fulham’s forceful style of play caught up to the Forest player.
In the 68th minute, Hudson-Odoi was substituted out of the game, and Divock Origi in and made a quite neat cameo.
The young player helped his team cross the finish line while sitting on the bench. He was on the field to receive the applause of the crowd after a fantastic performance at the end of the game.
After applauding from all four of the City Ground’s stands, Espirito Santo approached Hudson-Odoi and Anthony Elanga while they were talking about their win.
The cameraman came to a halt and embraced Hudson-Odoi tightly, probably as a token of appreciation. Then he shook his hand, drew him in for a second hug, and seemed to speak to him.
Maybe that was a reference to Hudson-Odoi, who has been a beast on Forest’s left side. Whatever was said before the game was effective, and it was encouraging to see the manager and player chuckling following a significant victory.
Hudson-Odoi has kicked on under Espirito Santo
Given his relationship with Cooper, Hudson-Odoi has been playing better for Forest under Espirito Santo, which is kind of funny.
The winger has four goals since Espirito Santo joined the team in December, but he only scored once under Cooper.
Five goals and three assists isn’t a bad return for a man who had difficulty finding regular first-team action before joining Forest.
It was evident following yesterday night’s game that Espirito Santo was pleased with Hudson-Odoi’s performance during Forest’s decisive victory.
His affectionate embrace with the three-time England star demonstrates his admiration for the player and his intention to continue developing him.
Hudson-Odoi has so much more to give, and with Espirito Santo’s help, maybe he can begin to realize his enormous potential.