There's so much talk about Joao Carvalho at the moment with him being linked with a move away from Nottingham Forest.
It's hard not to feel a bit sorry for him because he's not had a great season so far, but there is plenty of mitigation for the lad.
He had that injury at the start of pre-season and that really set him back. I know from experience what missing a pre-season means.
It's so hard to get match fitness back and these days that's even more the case with only under-23s football available to get minutes if you're not in the first team.
A lack of minutes really takes its toll on you.
On top of that, he's Forest's record signing and that brings pressure with it. It puts a spotlight on him and that's not his fault and don't forget he's only 22, not 32.
Carvalho finds himself in a tough spot because he's not had a run of games in his best position a as a number 10 for a long time.
He's not a natural left winger and I'm not sure he can play in the same team as Tiago Silva,
What he has to do now is train as hard as he can and try to prove to Sabri Lamouchi he deserves a regular spot.
He's not yet made himself a key man for Lamouchi and he wasn't for Martin O'Neill so he's got to do all he can to show what he can do.
We know he's got a lot of talent. Fans love him when he's on form and it would be a shame to see his talent go unfilled at the City Ground.
Garry Birtles was in conversation with Matt Davies.
