New addition Gustavo Scarpa has been challenged to work his way into the Nottingham Forest team.
The Reds announced the attacking midfielder’s arrival last weekend. The 28-year-old has made the move on a free transfer from Palmeiras, penning a contract until 2026, which officially starts on January 1 when his old one expires.
Joining his new teammates on a training camp in Greece, he got his first minutes in the Garibaldi in a behind-closed-doors game against Atromitos in midweek and chipped in with a couple of assists. But when he is eligible to play, he will have to force his way into the team as head coach Steve Cooper faces selection dilemmas across the pitch.
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“It was only a training game, so we never want to judge too much off that,” the Welshman said of Scarpa’s performance on Tuesday. “For me, you’ve got to be careful that you don’t rush into too many judgements - good, bad or indifferent - with new players, particularly when they come from where they come and the time they have come in.
“His experience is a little bit more normal, really, in terms of coming into a group which is a bit more settled than we were in the summer. We’ve just let him settle in and be who he is.
“First and foremost, you can see he’s a really good guy, which is important for me. And he works hard in training.
“You get that right, then you start seeing the real player. And then you have to get to work, in terms of seeing where we might see him.
“The challenge for everyone is to get into the team. Players who might have played a lot before the break, I don’t want them to take their place for granted. And players who maybe think they should have played a bit more, I want them to be using this break as an opportunity to showcase the contributions they can make.
“He (Scarpa) joins that process. We treat everybody equally and try to make the best decisions going forward.
“He’s joined the group and we’ve enjoyed having him in this first week. He speaks very good English, which helps. You join the group and get your hands dirty.”
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