Ryan Yates has arguably been Nottingham Forest's player of the season after making the step up to the Premier League in impressive fashion.
The 24-year-old's ability has consistently been questioned since he broke into the the first team in 2019 after loan spells at Barrow, Shrewsbury Town, Notts County and Scunthorpe, meaning he has now played at every level from the National League to the top flight.
Having consistently defied the doubters, Yates is now vice-captain and an increasingly important part of Steve Cooper's midfield as the Reds head into the World Cup.
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Now the man who gave him his chance in the first team, former manager Martin O'Neill, says Yates has all the character traits he would want to see in his son with comments which highlight why the last five bosses have backed the midfielder.
"He'd been out on loan at Notts County and someone else wanted him. I met him that January and said can you stay put please young man, let's see what you can do here," O'Neill told the Garibaldi Red podcast.
"His attitude was fantastic, his attitude to training. He was ready every single day and he was only a young lad.
"Thankfully he stayed put and it's really nice to see him doing so well, especially last season, scoring the goals he's capable of doing. He's a strong midfielder and it will be nice to see him continue that at this level, which is a massive step up again.
"There will have been one or two players that were not displeased I left the football club, but there were one or two who I helped and I don't want to sound boastful as I think I have done that during my managerial career.
"It's hard to say if I saw what he'd achieve but what I did see was a blinding commitment to train everyday. If he was your son then he did exactly what you'd want him to do.
"You'd say get your head down and train as hard as you can for every single minute. Training sessions might not be long but you're going to train hard every single minute.
"During that time I really got to know him and it was really nice to see him do so well even when you've left the football club. Really pleasing.
"Did I see him doing all these things? That's really hard to say but he broke into the team quickly in my 19 games in charge and he did exceptionally well."
Martin O'Neill's autobiography On Days Like These is out now. He will be signing copies in Nottingham on Saturday. It takes place at Waterstones on Bridlesmith Gate between 2pm and 3pm.
The full podcast interview is out now on YouTube and on your favourite audio platforms.
Has Yates won you over? Have your say in the comments section below
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