Hughton: Transfer talk will not faze Worrall
FOREST BOSS BELIEVES DEFENDER HAS SHOWN HE IS CAPTAIN MATERIAL
NOTTINGHAM Forest boss Chris Hughton has backed Joe Worrall to shrug off any transfer speculation.
The centre-back, who will hope to return from injury after the international break, has been the Reds’ stand-out player in an otherwise disappointing season.
He has been linked with a move away from his hometown club in the past, with Burnley long-term admirers.
But should talk about his future rear its head again leading into the transfer window, Hughton is confident it won’t affect Worrall’s form.
“Particularly in this division, you’ve got so many games that you can only react to something that is fact. Joe is intelligent enough to know that,” Hughton told the Nottingham Post.
“Speculation is always speculation.
“It’s always nice for Joe. And I think it’s nice for the club – if other clubs or the media are speaking well about one of our players, we’d like to think that shows the club have done something right in developing a player like that.
“I think he’s mature enough to accept it for what it is.
“Until the day it’s not speculation, he’s got to get on with the job he’s doing, which is a good job.”
And Hughton hopes any rumours about Worrall stay as just that for as long as possible.
“I would, because he’s a good player. And more importantly, he’s a good player for this football club,” he added.
“It’s something that comes with playing well and that’s always a good sign.”
Worrall has had two spells on the sidelines this term, the latest due to a cracked rib, but has been one of the first names on the team sheet when fit.
As ever, he has not been afraid to speak his mind, dishing out a few home truths on the team’s belowpar performances.
A natural leader, he has worn the armband when Lewis Grabban has been ruled out, with Hughton seeing him as clear “captain material” in the long-term.
“Joe is a good player and we want as many good players in the team as possible,” said the Reds manager.
“He’s been very, very good for me in my period of time at the club.
“That’s the most important thing, that he’s a good level of player.
“But you also want as much influence in the changing room as possible, and you want as many good characters in the changing room as possible. He would be that.
“We’ve got a lot of experience in the dressing room. Joe is a younger one but has got an older head.
“He wouldn’t be the first one of that making. But you want as many good, serious footballers as possible. Joe falls into that category. “He is still a young player. “In some terms he’s not, because he’s played a lot of football and a lot of games but still, by age, he’s a young-ish player. “And yes, he’s captain material. “It’s not easy to be a vocal player when you’re young and you’ve got a lot of experience around you.
“Some take a little bit longer to come out of their shell.
“Joe is a bit more of a natural one.
“I’m quite sure he will continue to be captain material.”