It is no secret that Nottingham Forest like to make new signings at any given opportunity. Since promotion back to the Premier League in May 2022, the club have brought in 34 new players with owner Evangelos Marinakis splashing out over £200m in the process.
Despite the club deploying a scattergun approach in recent seasons, they have previously utilised the facilities at The Nigel Doughty Academy to develop youngsters for the first team.
Players such as Ryan Yates, Matty Cash and Brennan Johnson are just three examples of the quality of player that the club are capable of producing, with the latter two departing the City Ground to join Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur, respectively, for fees in the region of £15m and £47.5m.
With the club being charged by the Premier League for breaching their FFP and profit and sustainability rules back in January, the club may have to work on a shoestring budget over the next few transfer windows, with the club's academy potentially playing a crucial part in developing players to have an impact on the first-team.
Nottingham Forest youngster Manni Norkett
Manni Norkett is a 19-year-old striker who joined Forest from fellow Premier League side Manchester United during the summer – joining the Reds' academy setup.
The striker, who was born in Nottingham, signed for the Red Devils back in 2018, after receiving 15 offers from various sides in the Premier League.
He was a key figure for United's academy for many years, scoring frequently for multiple different age categories including United's U21s despite being just 18 at the time.
The youngster scored nine times for United's U18s in the Premier League 2 last season before his arrival in Nottingham during the summer of 2023. Whilst he's only scored once for the Reds in eight Premier League 2 appearances this season, he still has a huge future ahead of him and could be the "real deal" – as dubbed by one of his old coaches Garry Attwood.
Norkett will be looking to follow in the footsteps of fellow Forest youngster Joe Gardner who made his first-team debut a few weeks ago, coming on in the 90th minute of the FA Cup fourth-round replay against Bristol City, replacing the injured Gonzalo Montiel.
Manni Norkett could be Awoniyi heir
Whilst Nuno's side currently have two brilliant centre forwards in Chris Wood and Taiwo Awoniyi, youngster Norkett could be a possible replacement for the duo in the years to come.
Wood and Awoniyi have scored a combined 15 goals so far this campaign in all competitions, with the pair playing their part in Forest's survival bid this season.
However, Norkett's potential should give Forest fans reasons to be excited about a potential life after Wood – who is more of a short-term fit at 32 – and Awoniyi in the years ahead.
Over the last few years, he's shown his ability to run the channels – whilst also being in the right place at the right time to finish off opportunities. Granted he's yet to feature in the men's game, but a loan move in the near future could benefit the 19-year-old, who previously bagged 19 goals in just 40 games for United's U18 side.
In The Pipeline
Football FanCast's In the Pipeline series aims to uncover the very best youth players in world football.
Norkett has a huge future ahead of him, with Forest conducting brilliant business in bringing him into the club during the summer. Whilst he's still very young with a long way to go until he features within the Forest first-team, it's great to see a promising youngster coming through the ranks – with one eye ahead on the future.
