Boss Billy Davies has hailed the contribution of Guy Moussi since the French midfielder returned to Nottingham Forest's starting line up.
The 24-year-old has produced some impressive performances since being restored to the side in the home win against Newcastle last month. He scored his first goal for the club in a dramatic 1-0 victory over Barnsley at the City Ground and was instrumental again in last weekend's draw at Cardiff.
Moussi's inclusion has coincided with a change of formation, with Davies favouring a five-man midfield with either Radoslaw Majewski or David McGoldrick playing a supporting role behind a lone striker. And Moussi's mobility and physical presence have been a key factor in the club's seven-match unbeaten run.
"He is still a young lad and we have a lot of knowledge to get into him, but you can see the penny is dropping. I can see it in training and in games that he is starting to understand what we are after and what we expect of him," said Davies.
"He can be either an attacking midfielder or a defensive midfielder - he has to be one or the other when it is required and not a bit of both. But it might be that he has to perform one role one week and another the next - and I believe he is capable of that.
"The way he's been playing, if we'd had him available at Crystal Palace (two weeks ago) we'd have won the game in my opinion."