Things have not exactly got off to the best of starts for Chris Hughton at Nottingham Forest this season, with the Reds having picked up just a single point over their opening five Championship fixtures of the new campaign.

Indeed, losses to Coventry City, AFC Bournemouth, Blackburn Rovers, Stoke City and a draw with arch-rivals Derby County have left the 62-year-old's side rooted to the bottom of the second tier table, while a 4-0 drubbing by Wolverhampton Wanderers has also seen the club exit the Carabao Cup.

As such, it will perhaps come as no surprise to Forest fans that a number of their side's players have not been at the top of their game during the opening weeks of the club's 2021/22 campaign, with a number of individuals averaging a SofaScore match rating of 6.50 or below.

However, there is one player in particular whose statistics will be most concerning for fans of the club and Hughton alike - Alex Mighten.

Zero shots on target

While it may seem slightly harsh to single out a 19-year-old for his below-par performances while a great many of Forest's more experienced players have also disappointed for the club so far this season, unfortunately, the winger's returns for the Reds have simply not been good enough.

Indeed, over his five appearances for Hughton's side so far this term, the £450k-rated man has scored no goals, registered no assists, made no key passes and created no big chances for his teammates.

Furthermore, the £2.5k-per-week forward has taken a grand total of one shot - which failed to hit the target - over his five league fixtures, as well as losing possession of the ball an average of 10.2 times and being dribbled past 0.4 times per match.

These returns - or lack thereof - have seen the youngster average an extremely disappointing SofaScore match rating of 6.42, ranking him as Hughton's fifth-worst performer in the second tier.

Having said this, Mighten is still undoubtedly a player with an extremely bright future ahead of him in the game, the forward just so happens to be playing in a Forest side who have failed to hit anywhere near what was expected of them prior to the new season kicking off.

As such, perhaps it would be kind of Hughton to take the youngster out of the team for a couple of weeks, in order to take some of the heat away from his current level of performance and allow him to regain his confidence while playing for the club's U23 side, before reintroducing the 19-year-old to the first-team when the club have managed to string a few positive results together.

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