Nottingham Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo has been speaking to the media before Saturday’s Premier League game against Aston Villa (kick-off 17:30 GMT).
Here are the key lines from his news conference:
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There are “no big issues” regarding injuries and the club.
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On the win against Manchester United: “It was a good game, a fantastic result and a memorable moment for all of us at the club, in the game we were lucky in the moments we scored which makes a big difference on the momentum of the game. After that we held onto the advantage and managed the game well.”
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His message to the players to ensure they keep focus: “Realise we’ve achieved nothing – it’s just the beginning, the big challenge is to stay focused and look for improvement. Compete always to the maximum that you can because every game you face is very difficult starting on Saturday against Villa. The challenge is to perform, compete and to do everything you can to maintain the standards we want.”
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On Chris Wood becoming Forest’s all-time Premier League top scorer: “He’s in his peak, I hope he continues – he’s in his best moment. There’s no age, nothing of that – everything is possible. The squads are getting younger and younger because we’re looking at the next player. Sometimes you don’t realise a 33 year old can perform as good, his knowledge acquired from his career that he reflects on the pitch is immense.”
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Nuno said he’s not “surprised at all” that Forest are where they are in the table, but when asked if there are raised expectations he said: “I’m not listening to that – but I don’t go too much away from my house.”
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He added: “We realise the importance of the club and community and what I see is happy people – what I tell them is let’s enjoy the journey, stick to the principles, see where we come from and where we want to go – just enjoy it. My job is to prepare the players to compete, if the team goes well, the club will and the City will be happy – this is what we want.”
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On if the club is ready for a European campaign: “We have a good platform and ambition to grow and improve. We are creating something, I really believe we are trying to build something nice together than can allow us to compete – this is what we have to look at.”
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He was asked about the 2034 World Cup being held in Saudi Arabia and spoke about his time in the country: “My personal experience was good, very welcome and well treated. It was a good experience in my life on all levels – culturally it was very nice. It’s a country that wants to develop and host big events, you can see it all over sport. You just have to make sure everyone is going to be safe and enjoy the game – this is what is more important.”
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