Forest boss Cooper: Players know Man Utd Cup semi won over 2 legs

Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper wants his players to push forward and create a winning culture at the club.

Forest are getting ready to take on Manchester United in the Carabao Cup semi final first leg.

The newly promoted Premier League side play the first leg at home, and will then have to go to Old Trafford for the second leg.

We're all on that journey together," Cooper said of creating a winning mentality, per Nottinghamshire Live.

Chris Wood has come in and really hit the ground running on being a presence in the dressing room.

We had a meeting on Monday morning, where we always keep it interactive, and he's one of the first guys to speak up and talk about some of the things from the (Bournemouth) game. It's really important to have that experience around.

I want the players to be driving the culture, more than me, because that's when you've got the dressing room right. We're getting to that.

People who have done good things in the past are in the dressing room and they can compare - the likes of Serge (Aurier), Cheikhou (Kouyate), Willy (Boly), to name a few. It's really helpful.

You should always be mindful that whatever goes on in the first leg, you've got to be careful that it doesn't have negative consequences - and sometimes vice versa, if things are going well. It is part of our preparation and what we're talking about, but we also have to concentrate on what's going on in the game as well.

It's a two-legged tie and there's lots of additional things that need talking about, whether it's appropriate for the first leg or second leg. United will be the same, and you have to deal with it as it comes.

We are in the semi-finals of an important cup, and how often do they come along? Some of the players have been in situations like this before, but for many it will be their first time. We should go into it thinking they don't come along very often, so treat it like it might be the last one."