Against Manchester City, Nuno Tavares found himself overwhelmed in the early stages of the game, struggling to defend against the reigning champions.
His performance only worsened as he received a yellow card in the 21st minute for a cynical challenge on Jeremy Doku.
Six minutes before the half-time break, Tavares was substituted and replaced by Gonzalo Montiel due to an injury. The exact nature of the problem has not yet been disclosed.
His rating at that point was just 5.5, having only completed 70% of his passes and winning none of his duels.
The match was Tavares’ first start for Forest since joining the club on loan from Arsenal. His inclusion in the squad came after substitute appearances in Forest’s recent win over Chelsea and a draw against Burnley.
Tavares was sent on loan after finding himself surplus to requirements at Arsenal. His competition for a place in Mikel Arteta‘s squad became even more complicated after the arrival of Oleksandr Zinchenko last season.
As a result, Tavares spent last season on loan at Marseille.
While Kieran Tierney‘s loan move to Real Sociedad seemed to offer Tavares a possible route back into the Arsenal team, Jakub Kiwior and Takehiro Tomiyasu were instead chosen as Zinchenko’s understudies during the pre-season.
This led to Tavares seeking more regular game time at Nottingham Forest at the end of the transfer window.
Tavares remains under contract with Arsenal until 2025.
