Nottingham Forest boss Chris Hughton says he has been impressed by young defender Loic Mbe Soh in training, as he continues to push for a place in the team.
The 19-year-old has made seven appearances for the Reds since his summer switch from PSG, though has not featured since the 0-0 draw at home to Barnsley at the end of January.
Hughton has a number of options at centre-back when all are fit, but it is an area of the pitch where Forest have been hit by injuries this term.
Scott McKenna made his comeback from an ankle problem against Reading on Saturday, however, his return coincided with Joe Worrall facing a spell on the sidelines due to a cracked rib.
It was the McKenna and Tobias Figueiredo partnership which got the nod against the Royals, but Hughton says Mbe Soh is providing tough competition for a spot.
“He’s right up there,” the Reds manager told NottinghamshireLive ahead of this evening’s clash with Norwich City.
“What I have at the moment are central defenders who are at very good levels and have done well for us this season.
“With Loic, it’s the balance between the type of game and whether you go with experience.
“Those are the questions you ask. Sometimes it’s about the individual and sometimes it’s about the team and the opposition.
“We continue to be delighted with what he gives us on a regular basis in training.
“We think we have seen improvements. The real judge of that will be in games.
“He hasn’t played the level of games, or the amount of games, to make a true assessment.
“He speaks very good English and is a very good professional. He’s very dedicated to the work he does and always wants to do extra.
“As a football type and a football person, he’s been excellent.”
Mbe Soh finds himself ahead of Michael Dawson in the pecking order, with the veteran defender one of three players fighting for the final available place in Forest’s 25-man squad.
“Michael comes into our thinking. But I have to be honest with you, he would fall behind what we already have,” Hughton added.
“When Joe Worrall is fit, with Scott back in and Toby, they are the three who have played most games.
“We’re always evaluating the players, and it doesn’t mean one is better than the other, but I can only speak about how we’ve done it so far this season, and the next in line would be Loic.
“But Michael is somebody who trains well every day and has a wealth of experience.
“If it came to a game where I chose not to play one of the others or we had injuries, I wouldn’t hesitate to put him in.”
Hughton is also having to find a balance among his strikers, now Lewis Grabban is back fit.
With the Reds more often than not playing with one up front, Grabban, Glenn Murray and Lyle Taylor are all fighting for that place in the starting XI.
“The reality is, up until now, I haven’t had to manage it because we haven’t had all three of them to pick from very often,” said Hughton.
“This is a nice position to be in.
“When you’re talking about forward players, it is just as important how you can change things from the bench, because they are the players who you are going to change (to try to get a goal).
“It gives us really good options, and that’s something we haven’t had too often.”
