Joe Worrall has increased Premier League interest in his services with his man-of-the-match display against Liverpool.
Championship Forest bowed out of the FA Cup quarter-finals 1-0 at home to Liverpool on Sunday but centre-back and City Ground academy graduate Worrall, 25, was exceptional in the narrow defeat.
The home captain earned rave reviews from pundits covering the live Cup clash and picked up the man of the match award. His performance also drew praise on Instagram from former Chelsea and England legend John Terry who messaged: "well played mate".
Worrall has previously been targeted by top-flight duo Brentford and Burnley, who have both had bids rejected. But West Ham and Everton have now joined the list of admirers in the right-footed centre-back.
Ex-England U21 international Worrall is under contract at his hometown team, who he grew up supporting, until 2024. But if Forest, who are three points off sixth, fail to go up , they may struggle to hang on to the highly-rated stopper. Worrall has formed part of a tight Forest defence alongside Scott McKenna and Steve Cook, the latter of whom is currently injured.
The trio are also close off the pitch and recently went to London to Sixes bar where punters enjoy drinks and indoor cricket. Cook, 30, who was at Bournemouth for a decade, said: “We have similar interests, cricket and social events like we go out for dinner as a team. It's something I've really enjoyed coming into.
“It's difficult coming into a new club for the first time in a long time and it was something I was worried about - not being able to be involved in the group. Obviously during Covid it was impossible to do things like that and the group I was with at Bournemouth suffered from that and so would a lot of other clubs.
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“As someone who is more of an old-school person in football I think it's huge. Now that we're able to go out and socialise together. We go out for a coffee every afternoon - little things like that. I got to know the lads really well, quickly and I feel that definitely helps on the pitch. There's a place called ‘Sixes’, it's a virtual bowling, cricket place in London.
"We went down there and Scott hit a few sixes in there - I was a bit surprised. I think it was his big shoulders rather than anything else, but Scotty was the star man. Joe Worrall actually let us down. He talks like he is an all-rounder in all sports but he had a few wickets against his name.” Cook can’t wait to visit nearby Trent Bridge when the domestic cricket season starts.
He added: “That was the one thing, when I signed up, that I was really looking forward to - going to Trent Bridge and watching the cricket. TheHundred fixtures came out the other day and Joe sent them straight to me. I'm really looking forward to the cricket season starting and some sun - they both go hand in hand."
