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Jamie Ward scored as Nottingham Forest’s Under-23 side beat Leicester City 3-1 on Thursday.
And with Lewis Grabban currently struggling with injury, Martin O’Neill should consider throwing the versatile forward, who has recently returned from a loan spell at Charlton Athletic, back into the fold.
On the chalkboard
Ward has been out-of-favour at Forest in recent months and, under Aitor Karanka, was shipped out on loan at the start of the season.
He played just nine times in League One, scoring in a 3-1 win over Bristol Rovers, and laying on an assist against Barnsley in a 2-0 victory.
The 32-year-old has a great deal of experience, however, and has won 34 caps for Northern Ireland.
A versatile attacker who can play in attacking midfield or on the flank, Ward has scored 50 times in the Championship across 280 games, and can surely help O’Neill’s side, particularly with Grabban struggling for fitness.
The 31-year-old has scored 15 goals thus far this season but was not included in the squad to play Derby County.
He is also a doubt to face Stoke City, with O’Neill telling Nottinghamshire Live: “We have known about it for a few days. He has an Achilles problem that has flared up again.
“Considering he is our leading scorer that is a difficult one. But we knew he was struggling a number of days ago, so we were able to prepare for that.”
Make or break
Giving Ward a chance could see him rescue his Forest career.
He has struggled for minutes since joining the club in 2015, embarking on loan spells at Burton Albion and Cardiff City in addition to Charlton.
But bringing an experienced international into the fold will surely do more good than harm.
If he hits the goal trail, too, then O’Neil suddenly has a number of forward options to choose from and genuine competition for Grabban.
If he doesn’t, and he flops, then the manager will surely know that his time is up.
Ultimately, it is a low-risk strategy and there is nothing to lose by calling him up to the senior squad.
