NOTTINGHAM Forest midfielder Lewis O'Brien says he'd love to make his Middlesbrough loan move permanent this summer.

The 25-year-old has spent the season at the Riverside and although his campaign was disrupted by a serious injury in September, O'Brien has established himself as a key player in Michael Carrick's side since his return and started the last 13 Championship games.

O'Brien joined Forest in the summer of 2022 having shone for Huddersfield Town in their surprise run to the Championship play-off final. But the City Ground switch didn't work out and after quickly falling down the pecking order, he spent the second half of last season on loan at DC United.

Forest have changed managers since O'Brien joined Boro last summer - with Nuno Espirito Santo replacing Steve Cooper - and it's unclear at this stage whether they'll be playing in the Premier League or the Championship next season, leaving O'Brien's future up in the air as things stand.

The midfielder doesn't know how the situation will play out at the end of the season but would jump at the chance to return to Boro if the opportunity presented itself.

"I don't have a clue, I'll have to see what happens in the summer," he said, when asked about his future, before adding:  "I've really enjoyed my time here and the time I've been playing.

"If it's the right time and the right things fall in place, I'd obviously love to come back here."

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O'Brien admitted he felt like he had a point to prove when he joined Boro in the summer after his Forest struggles, but just as he was finding his feet the midfielder suffered a fractured tibia and serious ankle damage in the September win at Watford.

He stayed on Teesside through his rehab rather than heading back to his parent club and after returning to action ahead of schedule in January, felt like he had to repay Boro and the fans for their support during his spell on the sidelines.

"It was the first proper injury I've had in my career that kept me out on the sidelines for a while," said O'Brien, who impressed against Leeds on Monday night.

"It was tough but I did all my rehab up here with Boro. It was nice to be around the lads, they've given me a lot of support through everything, through the whole time.

"I felt like I had a bit to repay to the fans and players for how much support they've given me throughout the time I was injured to hopefully show them what I can do.

"The physios have told me a few times I've done well to be coming back after the injury I had and played as many games as I have. In the last couple of games it's been getting back to the real Lewis O'Brien and I think this (Leeds) was probably the best you've seen of me.

"I definitely (feel at home at Boro). I still did the rehab here because I knew I'd be back before the end of the season but I didn't know how many games I'd play.

"It's a bit unfortunate there was only three or four games left when I started getting into my full stride and really understanding how Michael Carrick wants me to play."

Despite Boro's play-off hopes and their nine-match unbeaten run coming to an end with the defeat to Leeds on Monday, O'Brien is still determined to finish the season on a high, with a trip to Cardiff coming this Saturday ahead of the final day game against Watford.

He said: "The gaffer said all week (before Leeds) we had something to prove.

"We can take this into next season. Unfortunately the unbeaten run has come to an end but I think the performance is one of the best we've had in the nine games. It's just keeping that confidence going."