Nottingham Forest make James McAtee transfer decision after ‘outstanding’ reveal
Nottingham Forest will not allow James McAtee to leave the club on loan in the January window despite limited opportunities since his summer arrival.
McAtee joined Forest from Man City in the summer window as his 12-year association with the Etihad Stadium club came to an end in a deal worth up to £30million.
He joined Forest for more game time, after scoring seven goals in 27 appearances last season, but has found minutes even harder to come by at the City Ground so far.
The 23-year-old has only played nine times this term across all competitions, and his sole Premier League start came back in September in a 1-0 defeat at home to Sunderland.
Besiktas have registered their interest in McAtee ahead of January [NottinghamshireLive], as a result of his struggles, but Forest are not ready to sanction his exit just yet.
McAtee to stay at Forest in January as his attitude in training is praised
McAtee impressed against Malmo recently, with the Reds’ Europa League clashes providing a platform for him to make the majority of his appearances in recent weeks.
According to a new report from The Telegraph, it is understood that McAtee will not be allowed out on loan in the new year, despite limited first-team opportunities and links away.
The England youth international is “highly rated” by Forest’s coaching staff and the recruitment team, and has been regarded as a long-term signing who will only improve with more minutes.
His attitude to training is believed to have been “outstanding”, despite his struggles, and so it comes as little surprise to learn that Sean Dyche wants him to stay.
What McAtee has said about his ‘slow start’ at Forest
The City Ground has not been the ideal place for McAtee to continue his development this season, with Dyche already the third manager he has worked under in his short spell at the club so far.
Nuno Espirito Santo was in charge when he joined before a shock exit, with Ange Postecoglou then unable to get anything out of Forest’s array of stars before he was sacked and replaced by Dyche.
The former Man City youngster certainly has what it takes to be a key man in the Premier League and European competitions, and he recently spoke candidly to the media about the issues he has faced in the East Midlands this season.
He said: “It’s obviously been a slow start, but I knew what I was getting myself into because the quality in the squad is so good.
“I’m just trying to keep my head down and work hard in training to try to impress the gaffer. I’m just trying to get my chances and then try to impress whenever they come.
“I’m still young and am still learning. Sometimes I maybe put too much pressure on myself but players like me just need to go out there and enjoy it.”
Their busy winter schedule is surely set to provide him with more opportunities to stake a claim to play more regularly, especially considering that Morgan Gibbs-White has not been at his best this season.