Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper says he has a good relationship with staff at the Nigel Doughty Academy as they look to continue the club’s production line of talent.
The Reds have a rich history when it comes to bringing players through the ranks and into the first-team - a tradition they are eager to maintain.
Recent academy graduates Joe Worrall, Ryan Yates, Brennan Johnson and Alex Mighten are key figures in the current senior squad, while Tyrese Fornah this week put pen to paper on a contract extension.
Cooper’s reputation for developing young players was a key factor in his appointment at the City Ground, and he has regular conversations with director of football development Gary Brazil, Under-23s head coach Andy Reid and Under-18s chief Warren Joyce.
“We have good dialogue with the academy staff,” he said.
“For me, the academy is somewhat more of a quantitative role. Obviously it’s a qualitative role as well, but it’s quantitative because you do a lot more hours’ training and you’ve got a lot more teams, and a lot more players.
“There’s a lot of stuff which people don’t see which goes on in an academy. I’m respectful of that because I’ve been there - and I miss it, to be fair, as well!
“I’ll always have an interest with the guys, largely because I am genuinely interested and I like academy football.
“They’ve just got to keep going, the academy, and I’m sure they will get some good work done. Hopefully we can provide some opportunities for the first-team.”
A number of Under-23s players regularly join in first-team training, while Cooper has also watched some of their games as he keeps tabs on the next crop.
And it is said youngsters appreciate him taking the time to check how they are doing, sometimes sitting at a table with them at lunchtime, for instance.
“The whole point of the academy and the 23s is to provide players for the first-team. That’s how they get judged,” the Welshman added.
“I’m sure they are working hard on trying to get someone else to break in, and not just play a couple of games, but be established. That’s what a proper player does, is get in, and stay in.
“It’s like every academy around the country; that’s the main objective.”
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