Sabri Lamouchi gave Arijanet Muric a rare start in Tuesday night’s EFL Cup defeat to Arsenal, but the Nottingham Forest manager could drop the 20-year-old against Stoke City on Friday evening after his poor performance between the sticks.
Muric shipped five goals on the night and looked to be low on confidence at the Emirates Stadium, so it’s hard to see him getting the nod over Brice Samba. He was always going to struggle against Arsenal, having not played a game since August 21, but the issue is now where his future lies.
Forest are overstocked on goalkeepers in the first-team – Samba, Muric, Jordan Smith, Costel Pantilimon, Luke Steele – but Lamouchi seems settled on his first-choice. Samba has been outstanding since replacing Muric, conceding just two goals and keeping four clean sheets in six appearances, so his place isn’t up for grabs.
As for Muric, his poor performances could lead to him falling further down the pecking order. Jordan Smith appears to be third-choice under Lamouchi and could find himself replacing the Kosovan international as things stand. Muric came to Forest with high expectations, but he’s not living up to his billing.
