here we go;Make or barek season for Nottingham Forest youngster – Opinion

The tricky winger featured 24 times under then-boss Chris Hughton, taking many Forest fans by surprise with his pace and desire to beat a man.

Mighten was a shining light in what was a bitterly disappointing season for the Reds as they limped home to a 17th-place finish, just nine points clear of the drop

 

The arrival of boss Steve Cooper resulted in limited game time for the Forest Academy graduate, as he only registered two starts in the Championship with the rest of his minutes coming from the substitutes bench.

Cooper decided a loan move was best for the 21-year-old ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.

Mighten joined League One promotion chasers Sheffield Wednesday, but once again failed to make a real impact.

Darren MooreThe  American youngster only managed 14 appearances throughout his six-month stint at Hillsborough with ’s side activating a clausein January to terminate the loan, sending him back to the City Ground.

As Mighten had already featured for two English clubs in the same season, he was unable to join another side on loan and often featured for the club’s Under-21 side.

What next for Alex Mighten?

The winger has already featured for the club this pre-season against Notts County and has travelled with the rest of the Forest squad for the warm-weather training camp in Spain.

Nonetheless, it is thought he will head out on loan once more this season to gain more experience. He may not have set the world alight at Wednesday, but he is still more than capable of playing in England’s third tier.

Mighten is entering a crucial stage of his career and it is vital that Forest find the perfect side for him to get regular game time, whilst still improving his all-round game.

A move to a side such as Peterborough or Exeter may prove to be a great fit for the 21-year-old, as they both have a track record of developing and nurturing young, up-and-coming talents

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According to reports, the Gers are in continued discussions over a £2.5m move for Nottingham Forest centre-back Panzo, who has been routinely linked all window long.

But as Michael Beale confirms Leon King is likely to be back in training within five weeks, not quite the devastating long-term injury we all feared last week, the club’s defence now looks well stacked.

This comes after Rangers apparently signed veteran stopper Leon Balogun as a back-up to Leon King following the injury, which he picked up during the club’s Germany training camp.

“Obviously Leon King got the injury when we were away in Germany,” said Beale following Allan McGregor’s testimonial v Newcastle United.

“It’s not as bad as first feared. So we think he’ll be back in four to five weeks, back training within four weeks. So we’ve had the best case scenario with that.

“We had to scan it immediately to see if there was a break, there wasn’t. We’ve rescanned it and it’s the better news for us, so I’m delighted with that.”

Michael Beale delighted with Leon King injury news

Whilst Michael Beale is clearly beaming to learn that Leon King will not be out for a long time, the news gives Rangers fans some food for thought regarding the defence.

The situation would suggest a move for Leon Balogun was more than just a reaction to King’s injury, whilst the club now have five options at centre-back.

Leon King and Leon Balogun join Connor Goldson, John Souttar and Ben Davies, with vice-captain Goldson also set to return from injury at the end of the month.

That potential deal for Jonathan Panzo looks interesting given Rangers’ increasing number of options at centre-back and the issues the club had in the position last season.

Whilst Rangers will not want a repeat of the problems which plagued the last campaign, Michael Beale has been upfront about his desires to have a compact squad where everyone will get minutes.

But perhaps the Ibrox boss is planning a change of system which could incorporate three centre-backs on the pitch instead of two.

With Leon King returning, perhaps it throws a spanner into the works with regards Jonathan Panzo and let’s just see if Rangers’ interest begins to cool in the days and weeks ahead.