Gio Reyna given hope of first Nottingham Forest start after Nuno hails impact of USMNT star in Palace draw

Rob McCarthy 01 Apr 2024 11:01 PM

Gio Reyna is pushing for a first Forest start

USMNT star Gio Reyna has been offered hope that more game time is coming his way at Nottingham Forest after making a strong impact during Saturday’s draw with Crystal Palace.

Reyna started the game against the Eagles on the bench again and is still to make his full Premier League debut after signing on loan from German giants Borussia Dortmund back in January.

However, he was introduced in place of Divock Origi on the hour mark with his side trailing 1-0 to the visitors.

And within seconds of coming on Forest found an equaliser that earned them a precious point in their ongoing battle to avoid relegation to the Championship.

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Reyna combined with Forest attacking midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White before Chris Wood was teed up for an impressive looping header to earn the home side a point.

For Reyna, who is regarded as one of the to talents in US football, it was a significant opportunity for him to show Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo exactly what he can do when given more minutes to try and impress.

And it’s fair to say that the Portuguese was impressed, while also hinting that Reyna could be closing in on his first start for the club.

Speaking to reporters after the game, Nuno said: “He [Reyna] had an impact on the game. This is what we expected.

“He was able to control the possession. It was a good combination with Morgan before the goal. Today, it was Gio. Tuesday is going to be another one.

“This is what we expect from all of our players – if you play one minute, help us and have an impact on the game.”

Reyna pushing for first Forest start

A lovely header to bring us level 👌 pic.twitter.com/5WfJgYtntF

— Nottingham Forest (@NFFC) March 30, 2024

There have been plenty of calls for Reyna to be given an opportunity to show what he can do from the start and that could happen when Forest welcome Fulham to the City Ground on Tuesday evening.

Indeed, the USA star has only eight games remaining to make a real impression on the Premier League before he heads back to Dortmund.

But on terms of earning a permanent switch to England, that looks highly unlikely given that Reyna penned a new deal with the Bundesliga outfit until 2026 prior to his Forest loan switch.

Nottingham Forest Gio Reyna