Nottingham Forest now have just over a month to prepare for the second half of the Premier League season due to the World Cup break, and Steve Cooper will surely have mixed emotions about the pause in club football.

The Tricky Trees have finally started to connect on the pitch, only losing once in their last five top-flight games, which has lifted them from the very bottom of the league table to 18th.

The newly-promoted side are now just one point away from climbing out of the relegation zone but with the international tournament postponing the Premier League until after Christmas it could either cause a loss in momentum for Forest or be the best opportunity for Cooper to fine-tune his squad.

Forest will return to action on the 27th of December when they head to Old Trafford to take on Manchester United, but the Welsh manager will be looking to the following week when the transfer window re-opens with a brand new player set to make a move to The City Ground.

Brazilian sensation Gustavo Scarpa has confirmed he will be joining Nottingham Forest in January and the talented prospect could be just what Forest needs for their final push to retain their Premier League status over the remaining games of the season.

The left-footed Palmeiras talent has been a stand-out performer in the Brasileiro Serie A, winning the ESPN Brasil Golden Ball for 2022's best player of the season this week, and it comes as no surprise when you consider his output.

Over 35 league appearances, Scarpa - who was dubbed "creative" by coach Abel Ferreira - has scored seven goals, registered 12 assists and created a whopping 16 big chances, as well as averaging 3.3 shots, 54.1 touches and winning 3.9 duels per game.

This season isn't a one-off for the 28-year-old playmaker who has scored 53 goals and registered 76 assists over his career so far, with a goal contribution every 165 minutes so far.

Indeed, Jesse Lingard and Morgan Gibbs-White appear to have finally found their feet in front of goal over the last few weeks, however, Scarpa's arrival could see the pair rotated in and out of the team if the new player can make an instant impact in the team.

With that being said, Cooper must unleash Scarpa upon his arrival on Trentside in a few months as he could be a terrifying proposition for opponents, thus potentially saving Forest's Premier League status.