Sky Sports pundit and Manchester United icon Gary Neville says he is desperate for a "strong" Nottingham Forest ahead of their Championship play-off semi-final with Sheffield United.
The Reds hold a 2-1 lead heading into the second-leg of the play-off clash with the Blades thanks to goals from Jack Colback and Brennan Johnson; Sander Berge added a late consolation goal at Bramall Lane on Saturday.
It means Forest are 90 minutes away from a trip to Wembley Stadium where they will play Huddersfield Town for a spot in the Premier League next season; the Terriers beat Luton Town 2-1 on aggregate on Monday night.
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And Neville name-dropped the Reds ahead of the mega play-off clash tonight as part of an aside while talking about Newcastle United's 2-0 win over Arsenal.
Speaking on Sky Sports' Monday Night Football show, he said: "The investment in the team has put pride back in the city and feeling back on the pitch. Newcastle is a major city. It's a fantastic place. The north of England doesn't get as much investment as it should do, a lot of clubs in the south have been bought.
"We need a strong Newcastle United, Sunderland, Middlesbrough, Leeds, Sheffield Wednesday and Nottingham Forest. These different cities around the country are really important to football in this country."
Forest boss Steve Cooper is looking to end Forest's 23-year exodus from the Premier League by winning promotion to the top flight.
