Gio Reyna is finally making headway at Nottingham Forest - now the USMNT star can provide the vision to lead Premier League strugglers to safety

Heading into the club's second season back in the Premier League, Forest took a more measured approach. It was hard not to, to be fair. Heading into their first season back, they'd signed a whopping 19 first-team players. No club could afford that kind of overhaul again.

The likes of Chris Wood, Anthony Elanga and Callum Hudson-Odoi were brought to bring life to the attack, USMNT star Matt Turner and Odysseas Vlachodimos were signed to compete in goal, while Argentinian international Nicolas Dominguez was added to the midfield.

It didn't take long for it all to go wrong, though. In December, having won just three of the club's first 17 Premier League games, the club parted ways with Steve Cooper, the manager that had guided them this far. In his place, the club brought in ex-Tottenham and Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Sancho to right the ship.

It hasn't happened. Since two big wins over Newcastle and Manchester United in December, Forest have won just twice in 13 games, meaning they were in a relegation battle even before they were deducted four points for breaching the Premier League's financial rules.

As things stand, Forest are just one point clear of Luton Town, who sit in the final relegation berth. The optimist would say that Forest have given themselves a chance at survival, while the pessimist would say they've struggled to get out of this race to the bottom.

Whichever way you look at it, though, Forest have known for some time that they needed help, which is why they took a swing in January to sign Reyna.

While Forest were dealing with difficult moments in the Premier League, Reyna was doing the same in Germany. Reduced to being a substitute last season, Reyna wasn't even that during the first half of Borussia Dortmund's campaign as he struggled to see the field much in the Bundesliga.

Come January, Reyna was linked with moves all over Europe. It had been clear that his situation at Dortmund wasn't going to improve and that a fresh start was needed. The only question was whether that fresh start would be in Spain, France, Italy or England.

In the end, Forest won out, signing the American on loan for the second half of the Premier League season. For the first few months of the deal, though, Reyna was played even less than at Dortmund. In total, he played 90 minutes between six appearances between February 4 and April 7.

For Forest's match against Wolves on April 13, though, Reyna was named to the starting XI for the first time, giving him his first real chance to prove his worth at his new club.

Social media was abuzz the moment Forest's line up was revealed. There was Reyna. Finally, he'd been named to Nuno's XI.

Forest, as they have many times this year, went behind in the first half, thanks to a fine individual effort from Matheus Cunha. But, just a few moments later, Forest struck back, with Reyna at the heart of it.

After a Forest shot was blocked out for a corner, Reyna stepped up to deliver. His ball into the box swung right onto the head of Gibbs-White, who made no mistake with his header at the near post. It was 1-1, and Reyna had notched his first assist.

That proved to be the best moment of what was a tidy performance from the attacking midfielder. Reyna wasn't spectacular, but he was solid. He's not as pacey as the man he replaced in the line up, Anthony Elanga, but as he proved with his corner-kick delivery, Reyna offered something special to the attack.

When asked about Reyna throughout his spell at the City Ground, Forest boss Nuno has generally been non-committal, and that hasn't changed even after this past weekend's assist. The Portuguese manager was once again asked about Reyna after the American's display, and while he offered praise, he didn't offer much of a glimpse into his plans for the midfielder going forward.

“He played good," the coach said. "He gave us good possession. He had good situations, good passing and finishing. He is a good option for us and different to what we have normally. He did okay.”

Considering the fact that Forest's struggles have been more attacking than defensive this season, it's certainly worth shaking things up, right? Now, obviously, we aren't saying to do things for the sake of doing them. No, Reyna's situation comes with evidence, largely from his U.S. men's national team performances.

He scored twice against Ghana back in October before dominating in the CONCACAF Nations League this spring. His two assists for Haji Wright in the semifinals helped save the USMNT from elimination against Jamaica, while his goal against Mexico in the 2-0 win in the final earned him Player of the Tournament honors.

In those games, Reyna has shown what he does best: create. When he has the ball at his feet, good things happen. He's a player with vision and a nose for goal. Right now, he's surely in need of a bit more confidence, but last weekend's assist will definitely help.

The question is where to play him. Gibbs-White is entrenched as the No.10, which is something Forest knew when they signed Reyna. Over the first few months of this deal, Nuno never really made a plan to get them both onto the field.

With Elanga out, Reyna was thrust into the line up as a winger, where he played primarily for the U.S. during the 2022 World Cup cycle. It's not his best position, but he can make it work, even if he does change the style of play a bit.

Elanga's status is up in the air for Forest's next game, a crucial clash with fellow strugglers Everton on Sunday. Could Reyna be back in the XI? If he is, it'll be another chance to prove his worth ahead of the stretch run in the Premier League.

As they nurse a one-point advantage over Luton, Forest are staring down their final five games of the Premier League season. And, as they star at those games, they'll have to feel somewhat good about the schedule that lies ahead. The situation is clear: points are very much there for the taking and, at the end of it all, Forest will have it all in their hands.

There are games against Man City and Chelsea on April 28 and May 11, respectively, which will surely prove difficult. However, Forest's other three games are against other teams who are stuck in the relegation fight alongside them.

Up first is Everton on Sunday in a massive match, one that can see either team move toward a more comfortable spot on the table. Then, after hosting City in a match where any result will be a miracle, Forest will visit Sheffield United, who are comfortably the Premier League's worst team. Finally, after Chelsea, comes a trip to Burnley, the other relegation favorites.

There are winnable matches on the horizon for Forest, then. All they'll need is a spark, and Reyna could be the one to provide it. It hasn't gone to plan thus far, but as this loan stint heads into its final weeks, there's a chance that Reyna could end up being the difference between relegation and survival for the two-time European champions.