Who is Nottingham Forest’s latest breakthrough player Jordan Gabriel?

There was a sense of deja vu as Nottingham Forest were beaten by Barnsley at Oakwell: 48 days after their penultimate game of the previous season, slow defending, few attacking chances and a one-nil defeat were all on show. But there was one glimmer of hope – the inspiring performance of debutant Jordan Gabriel.

The 21-year-old spent the back-end of last season cementing a place in Paul Hart’s Scunthorpe side but, since his return to the City Ground, it looks like he could be soon given the chance to perform in the second tier.

Following the sale of Matty Cash to Aston Villa last week, questions were raised over who would fill the academy product’s position. Would boss Sabri Lamouchi look for a replacement? No. Would Carl Jenkinson be given the chance to show his worth? Quite possibly. Very few had expected – or even heard of – Gabriel to be the one who received the starting call.

That comes as quite a surprise, however. Academy manager Gary Brazil – formerly of Fulham and Preston North End – has previously hailed the 21-year-old as “an exceptional talent” and it seems he has now gained the support of the first-team coaches.

Making a relatively fault-free debut in the Garibaldi, Lamouchi was quick to offer his support to the young full-back.

“For his first start, it was a decent performance.” said the Frenchman. “He made just one or two mistakes in the second half, but the first half was more or less perfect.

“He could have started with a goal immediately after the kick-off. It was very positive.”

It leaves Lamouchi with an interesting dilemma ahead of Saturday’s Championship opening fixture at QPR – does he opt for pedigree and experience with Carl Jenkinson, or does he entrust faith in his new youth prospect?

The chance of Tendayi Darikwa being given a start seems unlikely given he has made the squad just a handful of times under Lamouchi. Meanwhile, Jayden Richardson’s future is set to continue away from the City Ground with another loan spell imminent.

Similar to Richardson, another loan spell away may seem the most beneficial outcome for Gabriel. The 21-year-old has already been linked with a move to Blackpool and regular minutes in League One could put him in good stead to make a claim for next season.

With just seven senior starts to his name, it is unlikely that Gabriel will find himself a regular fixture at the City Ground this term – but, with Forest, anything is possible.

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