Craig Ramage was full of praise for Ryan Yates after his performance for Nottingham Forest against Derby County on Monday, saying the young midfielder was “fired up” for the East Midlands derby.
In a column for Derbyshire Live, Ramage wrote: “The young lad for Forest, Ryan Yates, reminded me of myself when I played in my first derby against Forest at 19. He was up for it, he was fired up.”
Yates was brought back into the first-team by Martin O’Neill in February and has impressed enough to keep his place in midfield. The 21-year-old has made six appearances in all competitions this season, scoring one goal.
Against Derby, the Englishman made 41 touches, 26 passes with 77% accuracy, two interceptions and one clearance. He had three shots, whipped in one cross and drew three fouls in the 90 minutes.
O’Neill has turned the Reds’ form around with Yates, Jack Colback and Ben Watson in midfield and their win over Derby moved them closer to the Championship playoffs.
Yates had spent the first-half of the season out of the matchday squad and with the u23s, but his hard work in the reserve side wasn’t ignored and now all parties are reaping the rewards.
He was linked with a move away from Forest when Portsmouth were interested in a £500k deal in the winter transfer window. The Reds must be glad they kept him.
Crippy Cooke’s previous article
‘Quality’, ‘Excellent’, ‘Class’ – some fans praise Nottingham Forest man after Twitter post
