Lansbury remains a role model after hanging up his boots in 2023 at the age of 32. He is happy to have played some part, no matter how small, in helping the likes of Yates to fulfil their potential.
Having seen Yates break into Forest’s first-team squad towards the end of his time on Trentside, Lansbury said of the all-action midfielder being a model professional: “Exactly that, and he's shown that. Obviously when I was there, he was coming through and you always saw him and Joe Worrall were the ones that were really going to come through that age group and they've pushed on and done brilliant. I'm so happy to see that.”
Forest have always taken great pride in youth development - with the likes of Des Walker, Nigel Clough, Jermaine Jenas, Michael Dawson, Andy Reid and Brennan Johnson stepping off that conveyor belt.
Lansbury said of the Reds’ need to stick with that philosophy, which becomes much harder once Premier League status is secured andevery point is precious: “Definitely, the spots get smaller and a lot of clubs obviously buy in if you make the Premier League.
“It is just nice to see young kids coming through academies and then getting a chance in the first team. If they can keep producing young players, they've had it for years. Obviously you look back at the roster they've had come through, it's not a bad one is it?”