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Nottingham Forest midfielder Lewis O’Brien joins D.C. United on loan

By Lizzy Becherano

Lewis O'Brien joins D.C. United on loan.
Lewis O'Brien joins D.C. United on loan. / Marc Atkins/GettyImages
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Nottingham Forest midfielder Lewis O’Brien is officially headed to Major League Soccer. 

The player will join D.C. United on loan through July 16, though the contract contains a purchase option.

As reported previously by 90min, the two parties agreed to terms for the temporary stint after head coach Wayne Rooney convinced O’Brien of the project at D.C. United.

"Lewis has been one of the best players in the Championship over the last few seasons," Rooney said in a release. "He reads the game well and creates goal-scoring opportunities. Bringing him in on loan from Nottingham Forest was a great bit of business for us and he will be a brilliant addition to our midfield."

The player’s future was initially at risk when failing to secure a transfer to Championship high-fliers Blackburn Rovers on deadline day. Director of football Gregg Broughton revealed Rovers experienced "internal and external" reasons that led to late submission, and the club appealed the decision in the hope of the move being ratified.

But the EFL rejected the bid as Rovers had not submitted all of the required paperwork in time.

The unfortunate outcome left O'Brien unable to feature for the remainder of the season, after Forest did not name him in their 25-man Premier League squad for the second half of the campaign.

But Rooney stepped in with the chance at a new chapter with the Black and Red in Major League Soccer. O’Brien will now join D.C United with one goal in 17 appearances under his belt. He stands as D.C.’s third Premier League addition in the last six months after striker Christian Benteke arrived last summer from Crystal Palace and Mateusz Klich joined this winter from Leeds United.

Under Rooney, D.C. United has seen a decent start to the 2023 campaign with four points in four games and a 1W-1L-1D record. After concluding the 2022 season in last place of the Eastern Conference, the head coach hopes the new additions will propel the team out of the bottom and into the playoffs. 

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