Stuart Pearce names Awoniyi among three U17 WC winners at Nottingham Forest who have pace

Ahead of the Premier League clash between Manchester City and Nottingham Forest at the Etihad Stadium, England legend Stuart Pearce has named three previous Fifa U17 World Cup winners in the Nottingham Forest squad who have pace to burn.

The odds are stacked against Nottingham Forest heading into the fixture, considering that Pep Guardiola's side are in red-hot form having won all the seven games they've played this season.

Nottingham Forest have shown their attacking process by scoring in twelve consecutive Premier League matches. 

Pearce, who has a boot in both camps having played for both Manchester City and Nottingham Forest, namechecked three former U17 World Cup winners - Taiwo Awoniyi (2013), Callum Hudson-Odoi (2017) and Morgan Gibbs-White (2017) - as he discussed the counter attacking threat of Nottingham Forest.

Awoniyi has been, unarguably, the best player at Nottingham Forest since the start of May 2023 having scored or assisted in each of his last nine games in the Premier League. 

"But credit to Steve Cooper, he had a look at it early on and decided ‘we can’t do this, we’re too open," Stuart Pearce said to Manchester City's official website.

"I think he has recruited players who have got a bit of pace on the counterattack well with players like Taiwo Awoniyi, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Morgan Gibbs-White as well.

"They have all got a good counter-attacking threat, but City pose a big problem to whoever goes there."

 Awoniyi has netted against Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United since returning to England, but fired blanks in 32 minutes of action at the Etihad Stadium as Nottingham Forest suffered a 6-0 defeat at the hands of the Premier League champions last season. 

Ifeanyi Emmanuel 

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