Nottingham Forest have had a mixed start to the Premier League campaign, but one player has now been chosen as the best performer this season.

Oliver Glasner has faced early-season turmoil at Nottingham Forest, which has been slightly put on ice by the 3-1 win against Manchester City.

The win changed pretty much the entire perspective of the situation at the club. Liam Delap scored a brilliant brace in that game, while Ryan Yates also reestablished himself as a starter.

However, neither has been picked out as the best Forest performer of the season by The Athletic.

Murillo named Nottingham Forest’s best player this season

When thinking of who Forest’s best performer has been this season, Morgan Gibbs-White or James McAtee would be the choice of many. However, The Athletic disagrees.

The Athletic has ranked the top 50 players in the Premier League this season based on form, and within the top 50, there are two Forest players, which speaks volumes about how Glasner’s side has played.

In 48th, Morgan Gibbs-White just sneaks into the top 50 as one of the two Forest representatives in the list. Surprisingly, he is behind Murillo in 41st, with the Brazilian ranked as Forest’s best this season.

No, James McAtee is also a shock considering how excellent he has been, although the fact that Forest were in a relegation threat for a long time probably played a big part.

How Murillo has played for Forest this season

It is quite surprising to see the Forest defender in this list. Murillo hasn’t been at his best for most of the season, although he was top class against City, which may have swung things in his favour.

Murillo has, however, been pretty solid throughout despite not touching the heights that fans know him capable of. Manchester United are looking at signing Murillo in January, according to reports, in a bid to fix their appalling defence.

Against City, Murillo looked back to his best as he defended aggressively, on the front foot, and handled the City threat so comfortably, a reminder of how good he can be.

If Forest are to build on and capitalise on the win over City, Murillo will be absolutely vital for Glasner, and his importance is demonstrated here in how those outside the Forest bubble view him.

On and off the ball, Murillo is one of the best in the league, and hopefully, the performance against City is what we see for the remainder of the season before maybe considering letting him go.