Nuno Espírito Santo deserves Manager of the Season award - Shaun Wright-Phillip

Nottingham Forest boss Nuno Espírito Santo has been backed by former England international Shaun Wright-Phillips to be handed the Manager of the Season award ahead of Liverpool’s Arne Slot as the Champions League dream inches closer.

Espírito Santo has been surprisingly remarkable at Forest, guiding them to third place in the Premier League and an FA Cup semi-finals.

Nottingham Forest sit five points clear of fourth-placed Chelsea, and six ahead of Manchester City in fifth.

With Champions League football as an ultimate achievement, the 51-year-old boss has been backed to win the Manager of the Season award ahead of Arne Slot, whose Liverpool side is 12 points clear of Arsenal at the top of the summit.

Nuno Espírito Santo has seen his Nottingham Forest side achieve an unbelievable Champions League qualification (Image credit: Getty Images)

The former-Chelsea and Manchester City winger Wright-Phillips does not think Slot would be able to replicate what Espírito Santo has done at the City Ground, and as such, thinks the Portuguese should be rewarded come season end.

Forest could still finish the season with a top-four finish and a cup win – the club has missed out on any sight lifting a major trophy since 1990, when they won the League Cup.

Wright-Phillips told Genting Casino why he thinks Nuno deserved the Manager of the Season award rather than Slot,

“I would say Nuno for me, has to be the manager of the year, and everybody says to me, what about Arne Slot? I say, I think he’s done an absolutely amazing job.

“But could he do what Nuno’s done with the players that Nuno’s has in comparison to the ones that he has at Liverpool?

“I don’t think he actually could, but for Nuno, he’s gone to Anfield and won, he’s picked up points and beaten all the teams that people never saw him beating.

“They’ve played well with doing it. It hasn’t been lucky or a smash and grab.

“They’ve got a plan and that plan works. And the interesting part is, and everyone talks about, how long can they keep doing it? Because I think they have the lowest possession percentage in the Premier League in terms of doing what they’re doing and they’re still succeeding from it,” said, Wright-Phillips.

Forest will face Manchester United on Tuesday evening before a clash with Aston Villa in the weekend. They play Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley on April 26.