Credit: Imago

Harri Burton

Fri 1 May 2026 10:30, UK

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Morato might have already convinced Vitor Pereira that his future lies with Nottingham Forest despite concerns over his ability.

Forest were without star centre-back Murillo as they took on Aston Villa in a Europa League semi-final first leg on Thursday, 30 April, with Chris Wood’s second-half penalty making all the difference.

The City Ground was bouncing at the full-time whistle. Supporters have a belief that the Reds might make it to a first European final since 1980, and Morato has played a huge role so far.

Forest claimed a narrow 1-0 lead against Villa ahead of the second leg, and even if Murillo isn’t available for the trip to Villa Park, the manager clearly has a capable centre-back partnership to weather the storm.

Morato has rightly been criticised at Nottingham Forest

Forest fans have been left “sick” by Morato during his first two campaigns at the City Ground, with the Brazilian making far too many mistakes in front of his own goal.

Managers have only really fallen back on playing him when others are unavailable, and with Jair Cunha also missing out on the squad, Pereira had no other choice but to trust him against the Villans.

That turned out to be a brilliant decision. Although his underlying statistics don’t seem anything special, it was one of his better performances in a Forest shirt, one that he should be proud of.

Keeping Ollie Watkins has not been simple for defenders in recent weeks. The England international was boasting eight goal contributions in seven games before facing the Reds, but they kept him quiet.

Vitor Pereira could lose several big names this summer

Forest could lose both Murillo and Elliot Anderson this summer, so Morato’s drastic improvement may have come at the perfect time, especially if his future was being assessed by the hierarchy.

Pereira also risks Cunha attracting a lot more attention between now and the end of the season. The young Brazilian couldn’t get many minutes under Sean Dyche, and supporters are even more baffled now.

The 21-year-old has been simply sensational. His addition to the starting lineup may have pushed Morato to be that little bit better, and it was evident against Villa.

The Reds will now head into the second leg with a one-goal lead, and a lot of the thanks can go to Morato, who helped to stop Unai Emery’s side from scoring for the second game in a row.