Nottingham Forest defender Moussa Niakhate helped Senegal to a 1-0 win over Cameroon last night. The centre-back got a much-needed 90 minutes under his belt and that will have delighted Steve Cooper.

Niakhate has had a really frustrating time of things since joining Forest in the summer of 2022. He tore the hamstring away from the bone in just his second game and didn't play from August through to April.

Niakhate returned to the starting eleven for the game against Manchester City. The week after, he started at left-back in the 1-1 draw with Brentford but was sent off and subsequently missed the Crystal Palace game.

Niakhate plays for Senegal alongside Forest target For long periods of the summer, Forest had placed Ismail Jakobs at the top of their list for a new left-back. However, he proved too expensive, with Ross Wilson actually flying out for talks with Monaco.

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Last night, he lined up at left-back for Senegal, with Niakhate operating as the left-sided central defender. Together, the pair helped their country secure a 1-0 victory over Cameroon, with Sadio Mane scoring the game's only goal.

Niakhate will have been grateful for the minutes. He needs to get going this season and he will now hope to return to Forest full of confidence ahead of the game against Luton this weekend.

Niakhate will have to work hard for his shirt back Murillo has played brilliantly on the left of a two-man defensive unit of late. As a result, Cooper is likely to reward him this weekend by letting him continue in the team against Luton.

Niakhate is a popular figure in the dressing room at Forest. He's also a very good player and surely he will still get plenty of minutes during the current campaign as long as he stays fit.