Latest Nottingham Forest news as Reds boss Nuno Espirito Santo relives his youthful adventures ahead of Fulham clash

Nuno Espirito Santo’s eyes light up and he breaks into a grin as he resists the temptation to go into further detail about a scar on his leg.

The Nottingham Forest head coach quips as he strokes his beard: “But I was a young guy. I wasn’t always… I was a young, happy man!”

Reds players and fans got a previously-unseen glimpse of the younger Nuno during the team’s recent warm-weather training camp. Footage posted by the club shows the Portuguese gracefully leaping off a diving board and plunging into a 60-metre deep pool as Forest made the most of the facilities at their Dubai base.

His 10/10 effort prompted an impressed smile and nod of the head from midfielder Ibrahim Sangare, watching on from the side. But that was not Nuno’s first time throwing himself head-first into water. Far from it. If anything, that one was a bit tame for him.

Asked if it wasn’t a bit high, the 51-year-old laughs and says: “No. It was six metres. It is something I like to do. I enjoy it. I love it. I have loved it since I was a young man.

“I made some mistakes, going to high places where I shouldn’t go and make people concerned about it. But I could not resist it.

The moment I saw it (the diving board), I thought, I cannot resist. I just cannot. I was advised not to do it. But I must do it!

“I grew up doing this. I just crossed my road and the sea was there.”

But what about those mistakes? Did he get into some difficult situations?

The Portuguese nods as he recalls of growing up by the coast: “From rocks, if it was deep enough. Things that young people do…”

Did you hurt yourself? He laughs as he replies: “Yes. Badly. You don’t want to see the scar I have on my leg!

Then I went to goalkeeper. That’s why I went! Now you understand.”

Ah, so that explains why he was a goalkeeper! Nuno’s press conferences can often be quite serious affairs, but that brought a laugh.

Forest’s trip to the United Arab Emirates wasn’t all aquatic adventures, though. Spending time together as a group was a key part of it as Nuno places a great emphasis on a united dressing room, but the players put in plenty of hard work as well.

“It felt good. It was good to be there. We worked intensely and had good training sessions, but at the same time we had time to be together off the pitch,” explains Nuno ahead of this afternoon’s clash with Fulham (3pm kick-off).

“We had meals together and had time to do some activities together. It reinforces what we want, that the players really build this tight bond among themselves. It was good for us to go.”

Nevertheless, the Reds boss is well aware the success of the camp will be judged by results in the coming weeks. His team passed the first test – just – as a few days after their return they saw off Exeter City in the fourth round of the FA Cup. The visitors needed extra-time and penalties to progress at St James Park on Tuesday night and Nuno knows bigger challenges are ahead.

Forest took advantage of a break in their fixture schedule to head abroad. They had a significant gap between thrashing Brighton and Hove Albion 7-0 in their last Premier League outing and the midweek match in Devon.

Now it is back to their bread-and-butter at Craven Cottage. Third in the table, Nuno hopes the time spent in sunnier climes can pay off for the Reds

To celebrate the success of Nottingham Forest this season, we are writing a series of features celebrating events at the City Ground.

From the finances to the former managers. Looking at how the City is benefitting from what Nuno’s team are doing on the pitch.

We take a deep dive into Evangelos Marinakis and his aspirations for the club – can the Reds match them?