Jayden Richardson has returned to Nottingham Forest with a ringing endorsement from his manager at Exeter City in his ear.
Highly-rated Richardson spent the campaign on loan at St James Park culminating in Monday night’s League Two play-off final defeat to Northampton at Wembley.
Boss Matt Taylor was full of praise for the teenager, who played 28 times for the Grecians, and says he’d love to have the Forest youngster back.
“Jayden’s (Richardson) personality and character has been superb and alongside Dara O’Shea, he is the best loan character we have had at this football club,” the manager told exetercityfc.co.uk.
“That speaks volumes for Nottingham Forest, it speaks volumes for Jayden and his family, and he has improved throughout the season.
“He has probably been a little bit unlucky that right wing-back is his natural position and Randell Williams has been our best player this season, but the fact that I trusted him to play on the opposite side of the pitch in the semi-final and the final speaks volumes for how far he has come.”
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Taylor admits Richardson at the age of 19, he still has plenty to learn but believes he has the attitude to be a success, and says he’d be open to having the full-back at the club next term.
“He has pace and power and is a dynamic player,” he said.
“He still needs to learn a lot about the fundamentals of football and the defensive side of it if he is going to be a top class full-back, but he is an exciting player moving forward and he has always got a smile on his face and the way he interacted, for a lad that had come down from Nottingham to live in the area in temporary accommodation, was great.
“He seemed to enjoy his time, which we are delighted with because we want it to reflect well on the environment we have got here, but hopefully he is one we could work with again in the future if he were to go out on loan again.
“We would love to have him back.”
