Back
Nottingham Forest beat Manchester City 3-1 at the weekend, with Liam Delap the man of the moment, scoring two brilliant goals.
The Reds had gone five games without a win before taking on the former champions. Thankfully, City turned up expecting to tickle the belly of Forest, and they weren’t at the races from the get-go.
TalkingPoints
Ryan Yates splits opinion – so where do YOU think his place in the pecking order should be? 🤔
Delap was praised for his performance with his two goals, exactly what the player needed to get his season going. He scored in Forest’s other win against Aston Villa but had grown frustrated at a lack of goals in recent weeks.
After the game, pundits have been quizzed on Delap, with Gabby Agbonlahor now making an intriguing claim about the Forest striker.
Delap joined Forest for £50 million from Chelsea in the summer, with Oliver Glasner trying to sign the striker last summer when he was in charge of Crystal Palace.
The player scored two absolutely tremendous goals at the City Ground on Saturday, and joy was etched all over his face as his efforts crashed into the Manchester City net.
Agbonlahor thinks Delap should have England in his sights, with the number of options available behind Harry Kane looking increasingly depleted.
He was asked whether he thought Delap would score 15 Premier League goals for Forest this season, and he had his say on the Forest striker.
He said live on TalkSPORT: “That’s a lot of goals for Delap, he’s scored two great goals, but I said last week that the backup striker spot for England is there for Delap, I think he will get double figures.
“He’s interesting, you watch him, and he shouldn’t be quick with his size and his physicality, but he is. He’s pretty quick. It surprises me whenever I watch him.”
Delap will be aware that Elliot Anderson and Morgan Gibbs-White have made England appearances during their time with Forest, and that should have played a part in the decision Delap made to move to Forest.
Agbonlahor is right regarding Delap. Scoring 15 goals could prove challenging for the striker this season as he settles into regular game time again, but England should give him huge motivation.
After Kane, the options for England look bleak when it comes to strikers, and in the near future there could be a huge opportunity for Delap to stake his claim for a place.
After starring against an elite team like Manchester City, Delap must now focus his attention on scoring more consistently and helping the Reds climb the Premier League table.