Summer signing Murillo enjoyed a debut to remember for Nottingham Forest.

The Brazilian centre-back impressed against Brentford last weekend — helping his side to a hard-earned 1-1 draw after Moussa Niakhate saw red on 56 minutes.

With the visitors searching for a late winner at the City Ground, Murillo had to stand firm in defence to keep them at bay.

Ahead of today's game against Crystal Palace, we take a closer look at what he brings to the East Midlands outfit.

Nott the finished article

Forest fans have had to be patient when it comes to seeing Murillo in action.

The 21-year-old, who joined in a reported £15million deal from Corinthians in August, made his first appearance over a month after his arrival.

But Forest boss Steve Cooper believes there is plenty to come from his No40.

He said: "I thought as a debut goes he [Murillo] was excellent overall.

"He's really impressed us in training, he's a really young player, so to do the good things he did is promising, but it's only one game and if he gets an opportunity again then hopefully he can build on last week and keep going.

"He's got a great attitude to training, a great attitude to learning, he's settled in quickly which is a good thing considering where he's come from and his age.

"There's no doubt he's an exciting talent and we really hope we can help him develop to be the best he can be."

Busy vs Bees

No player on the pitch in the Brentford match made more clearances than Murillo (11).

He also ranked first for possessions won in the defensive third (five), making some crucial interventions as the Bees committed more players forward late in the game.

Aside from his impressive defensive contributions, Murillo looked composed in possession, completing 39 passes with an accuracy rate of 82.98%.

Willy Boly (78) was the only Forest player to have more touches of the ball than the Sao Paulo native (66), who earned plenty of plaudits for a promising start to his nascent Premier League career.

He's my Guy

One of those who singled out Murillo for praise was former Forest midfielder Guy Moussi.

He said: "It's easy to come into a game, have the ball and kick it forwards. What I liked was that he [Murillo] tried to find the right angle and the right passes to help us play at home.

"I was impressed because he's young, he's 21, but his composure and the way he wanted to play forwards with the right pass, not kick it forwards under pressure — it's easy to do this.

"There's a lot of pressure in the Premier League so he could not take risks. Do take risks! Have the ball and play. 

"We're at the City Ground. We must have the ball and he tried to do that, so I was impressed."

Putting down roots

A strong debut in the Premier League guarantees nothing and Murillo will still have plenty to prove in the coming weeks and months.

But signs of a burgeoning partnership with the experienced Boly will be encouraging for Cooper.

Another solid defensive display against Palace will only boost Murillo's confidence as he looks to nail down a regular spot in Forest's starting XI.