He hasn’t quite got a grasp on the language yet, but there is no doubt Nottingham Forest youngster Danilo is getting to grips with the English game.
The Brazilian capped an impressive performance against Brighton & Hove Albion on Wednesday night with his first goal for the Reds. And head coach Steve Cooper is confident that is just the start for the 21-year-old, who made the move from Palmeiras in January.
Getting used to a new league and a new country isn’t necessarily easy, particularly given the ruthless nature of the Premier League. But having made the first XI for the last six games, Danilo is beginning to establish himself in the Forest team.
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Cooper continues to work closely with him as he aims to keep improving. That includes trying to find fresh ways to communicate to try to overcome the language barrier.
“He’s coming on well. We’re really happy with him,” said the Reds boss. “It’s always good when a player delivers good performances, while knowing you are working with him in a way that’s for the future as well. That’s always nice work.
“It’s slightly new with him because of a little bit of a language barrier. He doesn’t speak English, although he is learning and we are finding different ways to communicate with him.
“Like all of these things with young players, the most important ingredient to progression is opportunity in games. We knew we were getting a talented young player come through the door, but we also knew we had to - and we are - managing him correctly, in terms of opportunities on the pitch.
“In some of the first games he played, he knew it was a bit different. But it was always going to be; he’s come from a completely different part of the world and it’s a different type of football. It’s not just about the games in England, training is maybe different as well, in terms of the intensity. That can help you get up to speed as well.
“For sure, he’s making good progress. But the caveat to that is we also know we’re working him with a way of development and improvement as well.
“His age will tell you there is a lot of development to come. But if we can develop while he is playing in the team, that’s a good place to be.”
The same applies to others in the Forest squad, such as the likes of Brennan Johnson, Morgan Gibbs-White and Neco Williams - albeit the latter will miss the remaining five games of the season with a fractured jaw. They can be reference points for Danilo, with Cooper reluctant to speculate how good the midfielder has the potential to be.
“Let’s see. Let’s just take it one step at a time,” he continued. “Like all young players, it’s up and down. We’ve seen that with some of the other young players this year. There’s no shame in that, and actually it’s good for you - although it doesn’t feel like it at the time.
“That’s what’s frustrating with Neco. He had gone through a little bit of a spell where he wasn’t playing and maybe could have done a bit better - and I’m not talking about something me and him haven’t talked about - and then gradually he got through that. He got back in the team and was really starting to show his worth, then he breaks his jaw.
“But that progression is normal with young players. If you look at all of our younger players, it’s not been plain sailing, but it was never going to be. It’s not been plain sailing for any of us! But particularly the younger ones, it’s good for them to experience all of this.”
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