What Jack Grealish told Jota Silva during Man City meeting as Nottingham Forest 'surprise' revealed
Nicknamed the Portuguese Jack Grealish, Nottingham Forest winger Jota Silva has revealed what happened when he came across his lookalike earlier on this season.
Jota and the Manchester City star bear a passing resemblance to each other. They met for the first time when the Reds travelled to the Etihad Stadium at the start of December.
The Premier League clash didn’t go as hoped for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side as they fell to a 3-0 defeat, with Jota brought off in the 72nd minute after starting for the visitors. The return fixture will take place at the City Ground in March, and the Forest man already has his sights set on a certain reunion.
“I promised to swap shirts with Grealish in the second-round match,” he told Portuguese outlet Tribuna Expresso. “He came up to me and asked if I was his twin, which was funny. As well as being a great player, he's a great lad.”
Jota has featured 19 times for the Reds so far since his summer switch from Vitoria Guimaraes. As he continues to adapt to English football, he has noticed one key difference compared to his time climbing the football ladder in his Portuguese homeland.
“When I arrived here, what surprised me was seeing everyone's mentality,” said the 25-year-old, who has made clear he wants to add to his collection of international caps. “Everyone is looking for what they can improve. Sometimes we think it's a small thing, but it can help the player.
“People work to give us all the conditions to be able to shine on the pitch. It's the mentality we have here that has driven us on and made us do so well this year. All the players on the outside have 100 percent support for those on the inside and are ready to help.
“What we do on the pitch is the coach's idea. He guides us and prepares the game with plans that have worked.”
Playing in the Premier League has been a dream come true for Jota. With Forest flying high in the table, he has also been taken aback by the support Nuno’s side receive.
“The atmosphere at the City Ground, our stadium, is fantastic,” he added. “The first game I played here, with 30,000 people singing our anthem (Mull of Kintyre), it gave me goosebumps to know that I was where I'd always wanted to be. It was a unique feeling.”
