Nottingham Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo believes former Liverpool cult hero Divock Origi could make a difference against his former side when Tricky Trees host Liverpool this weekend in the Premier League. Origi was beloved at Anfield for his tendency to score clinical goals during his time at the club.
Origi was at Liverpool for the better part of eight years, amid various loan spells in Ligue 1 and the Bundesliga, and is best remembered for his pair of goals in the 4-0 win against Barcelona in the 2019 Champions League semi-final second leg that secured the club’s passage to the final.
Origi also scored in the final against Tottenham and since then remained a cult hero to fans. In the summer of 2022, the Belgian left Liverpool for Italian giants Milan in order to gain first-team football. But the striker struggled in Serie A and scored just twice.
Last summer, Origi was loaned out to Nottingham Forest in the hope that he could rediscover his goalscoring form back in the Premier League, but it hasn’t materialised, with the striker struggling for fitness. In 12 games Origi hasn’t scored a single goal for Forest, but boss Espirito Santo has seen improvements from the 28-year-old in recent weeks.
“I still haven’t decided who is going to play but I can tell you Divock is improving,” the Forest boss said. “He has been in and out, some small issues which has been delaying his progress. But in the first half (against Manchester United) he was amazing and for us, he is a solution because he can play right, left side and in the center. So we need the best version of Divock.”
Origi has failed to score in the league for Forest since signing, with his only goal for the club coming in the FA Cup fourth-round victory against Bristol City. He’s only played 266 minutes of league football for Forest, and has produced just a single assist, which came in the 4-2 defeat to Aston Villa on February 24.
Origi’s future is unclear at present. However, it’s likely that Forest will send him back to Milan at the end of the season should his form not improve.