'Nuno has to be Manager of the Season!' - Nottingham Forest boss backed for gong ahead of Liverpool's Arne Slot as Champions League dream inches closer

Espirito Santo has done remarkable work at Forest, guiding them to third place in the Premier League, as well as to the FA Cup semi-finals. They sit five points clear of fourth-placed Chelsea, and six ahead of Manchester City in fifth. With Champions League football on the horizon, the Forest boss has been backed to win Manager of the Season ahead of Arne Slot, whose Liverpool side are 12 clear of Arsenal at the top of the table.

Ex-Chelsea and Manchester City star Wright-Phillips does not believe that Slot would be able to replicate what Espirito Santo has done at the City Ground, and as such, thinks the Portuguese should be rewarded come the campaign's end. Forest could still cap the season with a top four finish and a cup win; they have not lifted a major trophy since 1990, when they won the League Cup.

Wright-Phillips told Genting Casino: "I would say Nuno for me, has to be the manager of the year, and everybody says to me, what about Arne Slot? I say, I think he's done an absolutely amazing job. But could he do what Nuno's done with the players that Nuno's has in comparison to the ones that he has at Liverpool? I don't think he actually could, but for Nuno, he's gone to Anfield and won, he's picked up points and beaten all the teams that people never saw him beating. They've played well with doing it. It hasn't been lucky or a smash and grab. They've got a plan and that plan works. And the interesting part is, and everyone talks about, how long can they keep doing it? Because I think they have the lowest possession percentage in the Premier League in terms of doing what they're doing and they're still succeeding from it."

Forest play Manchester United on Tuesday evening before a clash with Aston Villa this weekend. In the FA Cup semi-final, they will play Manchester City at Wembley on April 26.