Cooper showers Emmanuel Dennis with nice words after Aston Villa goal

Super Eagles forward Emmanuel Dennis has earned high praise from his manager at Nottingham Forest Steve Cooper after his performance against Aston Villa.

Cooper gave Dennis his first Premier League start of the season on Monday night against Steven Gerrard's side at the City Ground on Monday, October 10.

The Nigerian international repaid his manager's faith by scoring the opener for Nottingham Forest as they held 16th-placed Villa to a 1-1 draw.

In the aftermath of the match, Cooper praised Dennis for his performance against Aston Villa, highlighting his patience before earning his first start for the club. 

Dennis signed for Nottingham Forest on a £14.8m deal from Championship side Watford in mid-August and had started for Nottingham Forest once before Aston Villa's match.

"He’s waited patiently. Emmanuel is an interesting player and I’m delighted to give him his start,” Cooper told BBC Radio Nottingham as reported by Daily Post.

"I’m really pleased to see him score and generally do well in the team.”

Dennis' previous start for Nottingham Forest came against Grimsby Town in the EFL Carabao Cup on August 23 where he provided an assist in a 3-0 victory.

Since then, the former Club Brugge forward has taken in five substitute appearances in the Premier League for Nottingham Forest, failing to score or assist in any of them.

Dennis will hope to retain his place in Cooper's starting XI when they face fellow strugglers Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday, October 15 at the Molineux Stadium.