FOREST NEW BOY IS SOU LIKE MAHREZ

ADLENE GUEDIOURA has hailed Nottingham Forest new boy Hillal Soudani as “the Riyad Mahrez of the Championship”.

The summer signing from Dinamo Zagreb (above) needed just 17 minutes of English football to make his mark, grabbing the winner against Reading.

Forest midfielder Guedioura has seen 30-year-old Soudani and Manchester City’s Mahrez at close quarters when playing for Algeria.

And he reckons the pair are similar, with Forest getting a £2.5million steal.

He said: “He showed in this game exactly what he is – a player with so much energy and passion. “He wants to prove himself to everyone in England.

“I think Hillal and Riyad have similar energies and technical abilities. I’d say Hillal is maybe a bit stronger and Riyad quicker with the ball. They’re both fast when playing for Algeria.

“I wish he could have the same impact as Riyad. It’s a shame his opportunity didn’t come earlier. But trust me he’s a top, top player.”

Soudani, who had a five-minute cameo in Tuesday’s draw with West Brom, struck 12 minutes after coming off the bench.

There were certainly shades of Mahrez about the goal, a beauty curled in with his left foot from just inside the area.

Reading made life difficult for Forest but have lost two out of two. Recent arrival Marc Mcnulty said: “It won’t be a relegation scrap, it’s not panic stations just yet. We’ve good staff and good players.”