John Terry "would have backed himself" if he had beaten Steve Cooper to the Nottingham Forest managerial job, according to Express & Star journalist Luke Hatfield.

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Former Swansea City boss Steve Cooper was appointed as Forest's new head coach yesterday.

It comes after Forest, who currently find themselves bottom of the Championship table, agreed a £1.2million compensation package with Swansea due to the Welshman remaining under contract with the club until 2022 despite leaving his role as head coach in the summer.

Cooper succeeds Chris Hughton, who was sacked last week after suffering a sixth defeat in seven Championship matches this season.

Former England international defender Terry, who enjoyed a brief loan spell with Forest during his playing career, was reportedly interested in the job.

However, following the speculation, Terry took to social media to distance himself from the links while Hughton remained at the helm.

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What has Luke Hatfield said about the situation?

Hatfield believes Terry would have relished the opportunity to take charge of Forest, but warns it may not have worked out successfully.

Forest's arch-rivals Derby County appointed Terry's former England team-mate Wayne Rooney as their caretaker manager last November and he was eventually named as Phillip Cocu's permanent successor earlier this year.

However, the Rams were only able to stave off relegation from the Championship on the final day of last season and turmoil behind the scenes means Derby are set to enter administration.

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Hatfield reckons Terry may have faced an uphill battle, like Rooney, if he had clinched the Forest job.

He told GMS: "He would have backed himself, I'm sure he would. But it would have been an intriguing role for him to take on.

"You only need to look at the likes of what Wayne Rooney has done in joining Derby and the struggles that they're going through."

Why did Forest choose Cooper instead of Terry?

Cooper boasts more experience and would have led Swansea back into the top flight were it not for a Championship play-off final defeat to Brentford last season.

He also managed England at under-16 and under-17 level, guiding the latter to World Cup glory in 2017.

Terry, meanwhile, would have been seen as a risky appointment as he has yet to move into a managerial role since hanging up his boots.

The 40-year-old left his role as assistant head coach at Aston Villa during the summer and has confirmed he is now looking to secure a top job.