Nuno Espirito Santo ‘left humiliated by Marinakis bust-up’ at Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis has been branded “embarrassing” after his on-pitch outburst following the 2-2 draw with Leicester.
Former Man United and Blackburn chief scout Mick Brown, who remains very well-connected within the game, exclusively told Football Insider that the owner’s actions were “humiliating” for himself and for Nuno Espirito Santo.
However, despite initial fears from supporters, it is not expected to have impacted Nuno’s position after Marinakis spoke out to clarify the situation.
This comes after Forest fans feared Nuno could be sacked after footage of the incident showed a clear disagreement between the pair at the City Ground.
Instead, an official statement by the owner explained that he was frustrated given the injury sustained by Taiwo Awoniyi which saw him rushed to hospital despite attempting to continue.
“We are extremely proud and close to Nuno and the team,” Marinakis wrote, “We were frustrated around the injury of Taiwo and the medical staff’s misjudgement on Taiwo’s ability to continue the game. This is natural, this is a demonstration of the passion we feel for our club.“
Evangelos Marinakis slammed for Nottingham Forest bust-up
Brown told Football Insider in March that Forest want Nuno to sign a new contract and will do everything they can to get a deal signed.
The former scout who has a wealth of experience working closely with managers and owners at a number of clubs including over a decade at Man United, has insisted the on-filed bust-up was “out of order” and should never have been allowed to happen.
“I think it was totally embarrassing and out of order,” he told Football Insider.
“I know he’s come out since with a statement about the injury to their striker.
“The owner storming onto the pitch – I don’t care what the reason is – it’s a humiliating situation for everybody involved, not just for him.
“He left the majority of people watching with the impression that he was questioning the manager.
“It should never have been allowed to happen and he should never have put them in that position.
“There’s no justification for it whatsoever.
“In terms of whether it will affect Nuno’s future, I don’t think so, the situation has been cleared up despite what it looked like at first.
“In the moment tensions may have flared but I don’t think he’ll be questioning his position.“
Harvey Elliott update emerges after Morgan Gibbs-White latest
Despite the uproar surrounding the on-pitch incident at the City Ground, Forest remain focused ahead of what will be an important transfer window for the club.
Brown told Football Insider that Forest want to sign Liverpool star Harvey Elliott and will make a move if Morgan Gibbs-White joins Manchester City.
While the 22-year-old is not seen as an out-and-out replacement for Gibbs-White, his departure would open the door for Forest to bring in a new attack-minded midfielder.
This comes after Football Insider revealed Forest may be powerless to resist Man City if they make a move to sign Gibbs-White this summer.
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