Transfer update provided on Nottingham Forest player amid Championship interest | OneFootball

Wayne Rooney is looking to keep Nottingham Forest’s Lewis O’Brien at DC United beyond the summer, although there is interest in the player from the Championship.

Who is Lewis O’Brien?

The energetic midfielder was a crucial figure for Huddersfield a few years ago as they reached the play-off final under Carlos Corberan, and his performances attracted attention from Forest, who signed him following their promotion to the Premier League.

However, even though O’Brien featured regularly for Steve Cooper’s side initially, he was eventually frozen out and failed to make the 25-man squad after they strengthened the group in January.

When a January switch to Blackburn fell through late on, the 24-year-old was left in a situation where he wouldn’t be able to play for the rest of the season, until it was agreed that he would move to the US who operate under different rules to Europe with the transfer market.

And, his time with DC United has gone very well so far, with O’Brien impressing and becoming an important player for Rooney’s side.

So much so, it has been reported by journalist Alan Nixon that the Manchester United legend is keen on O’Brien staying for the rest of the MLS campaign, which would be October if they don’t make the play-offs, or beyond if they do.

As it stands, O’Brien could return to the City Ground in July, with the update stating there is interest from Championship clubs in the midfielder.

O’Brien would be a standout performer in the Championship

You can understand why clubs from the second tier are looking at O’Brien because he has the quality to be a standout midfielder at this level - as he has shown with Huddersfield in the past. So, interest in the player was inevitable, and it appears both he and Forest could have a decision to make.

However, O’Brien is clearly enjoying his football in America, and he may feel like he wants to repay the faith Rooney showed in him by staying for the remainder of the season and then reassessing his options in the January window in 2024.

Ultimately, this is one to monitor in the coming weeks as the decision will have to be made shortly, but if a club can convince O’Brien to come to the Championship then it would be a real coup.