Just a few weeks ago, Omari Hutchinson was celebrating a big move to Nottingham Forest. Now, he has suffered a major blow that’ll leave him pondering whether he made the right call.
After suffering relegation last season, Ipswich Town were always going to be at risk of losing their top players. Liam Delap went first, but it took some time for the Omari Hutchinson saga to evolve.
While Brentford looked best-placed to sign the young winger at first, that deal collapsed. Eventually, Nottingham Forest showed an interest and Hutchinson sealed a record-breaking exit worth £37.5m.
Since then, Ipswich Town became the biggest spenders in the Championship, splashing the cash to replace their key man. But for Hutchinson, things are already not quite going to plan at Forest.
Omari Hutchinson during Nottingham Forest FC v Ipswich Town FC - Premier League
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Omari Hutchinson left out of Nottingham Forest Europa League squad
When Omari Hutchinson bid farewell to Ipswich, he probably had grand designs of proving himself in the top flight this season, and playing in Europe with his new club. The latter will not be happening any time soon, though.
Due to UEFA rulings, Forest are only permitted to name a 22-man squad for the Europa League this season as they only have one player who counts as club-trained. Clubs should name four players that were trained by the club between ages 15-21, and if they can’t the overall squad is cut accordingly.
This has led to tough decisions for Nuno Espirito Santo, and it is Hutchinson who has paid the price.
Of course, this may well mean Hutchinson gets more minutes in the Premier League and in the domestic cup competitions, but for any player dreaming of performing on the top stage, the fact he will be excluded from the Europa League will surely be a huge blow for the 21-year-old.
But, there is still one glimmer of hope for Hutchinson…
A closeup shot of the Ipswich Town badge
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Omari Hutchinson can take inspiration from Djed Spence
If Forest make it past the league phase of the Europa League, they will be permitted to make three changes to their squad before the knockout stages. Essentially, then, Hutchinson has roughly three months to prove to Nuno that he simply cannot be left out again.
A prime example of this pathway can be found in the case study of Djed Spence. He was left out of Ange Postecoglou’s initial Europa League squad last season at Tottenham Hotspur, but he performed so well in the interim that the wing-back forced his way back into contention.
Spence would go on to lift the Europa League trophy in May after featuring in the last-16 and quarter-final ties.
Now, Spence has completed an incredible turnaround in his career and is part of the current England squad for the first time. Hutchinson’s situation is by no means as dismal as Spence’s was 12 months ago, so there’s no reason the former Ipswich man can’t go on to great things despite this setback.