When he first arrived in February, one of Vitor Pereira’s priorities was to ensure every member of the Nottingham Forest squad he inherited felt important — as though each of them had something to contribute.He made a point of having conversations with players like Taiwo Awoniyi, Dilane Bakwa, James McAtee and Jair Cunha, who had found their opportunities limited.Individual training plans were produced to help some of them regain peak sharpness, for if and when they were required.The work paid off. Amid his successful push for Premier League survival, Pereira used 24 different players — and Cunha, McAtee, Awoniyi and Bakwa were all in the starting line-up for the emphatic 3-1 win at Chelsea in May, which helped Forest take a huge step towards safety.“He talks every day with us,” said defender Nikola Milenkovic in a press conference before their Europa League semi-final second leg against Aston Villa. “He asks how we feel; if we need something. It is not like he is our babysitter. But he creates a relationship with everyone. We feel as though we have everyone together, everyone as one. He knows how to create a bond; a family atmosphere.”Bakwa’s signing was seen as a coup inside Forest (Photo: Michael Regan/Getty Images)That bond, of course, will still be vital. Pereira believes Forest are capable of far more than the 16th-place finish they achieved against a backdrop of a chaotic campaign that saw him become the fourth man to take charge. But so too will Pereira’s ability to get the best out of some of those players who found themselves peripheral for much of the campaign.Forest spent around £200million on 13 new signings last summer. Owner Evangelos Marinakis gave the green light to another round of recruitment that was meant to underline the club’s ambitions — and equip them with a squad capable of competing in Europe.But the majority of those summer additions are yet to show their full capabilities in a Forest shirt.Igor Jesus (£16million, Botafogo) is an exception. He was a vital addition, with the Brazilian leading the line during the long spells when Chris Wood was sidelined with injury.Club-record signing Omari Hutchinson (£37.5million, Ipswich) also gradually evolved into a more influential player as the season went on, particularly after the arrival of Pereira, who seemed to inject fresh confidence into him. But it took him time to settle, and consistency remained elusive for the 22-year-old.Similar is true of Dan Ndoye (£35million, Bologna), Bakwa (£30million, Strasbourg) and McAtee (£30million, Manchester City). If you include Hutchinson, Forest invested a little over £130million in four players who arrived armed with vast potential — which has so far, largely, gone unfulfilled.Ndoye has impressed at the World Cup (Photo: Alex Livesey/Getty Images)Speak to people at Forest, and they will tell you McAtee is regularly the best performer on the training ground; they will talk of a player who is capable of moments of great individual skill. He is yet to demonstrate that regularly in games, though an intelligent exchange of passes with Elliot Anderson led to the England man scoring the goal that ultimately kept Forest up, against Newcastle. That was the one assist McAtee registered in 289 minutes — two starts and 12 sub appearances — of top-flight football for Forest.