Rafael Benitez is 'ready' to replace Steve Cooper as Nottingham Forest manager, according to The Telegraph's Jason Burt.

The Lowdown: Cooper on the brink

The Reds suffered a woeful night at the office on Monday, losing 4-0 away to Leicester City in a bottom-of-the-table Premier League clash as their run of league defeats now stretches to five.

The result means that Forest have been leapfrogged by the Foxes and are now propping up the rest of the table, in what has been a worrying start to the season.

There is now a strong feeling that Cooper will be sacked imminently, despite taking them from bottom of the Championship when he assumed the job just over a year ago, and a replacement could already be in mind.

The Latest: Benitez eyed up by Forest

Taking to Twitter in sharing a report from his Telegraph colleague John Percy, Burt has claimed that Benitez looks like the man who will come in.

He tweeted:

"Am told Rafa Benitez is ready to take over if Steve Cooper goes."

The Verdict: Proven winner

In truth, sacking Cooper feels extremely harsh, considering where Forest were when he took the job and getting them back into the Premier League for the first time in 23 years, but it looks as though that's what will happen.

In Benitez, the Reds would be bringing in one of Europe's most decorated coaches of the last 20 years, with the Spaniard winning the Champions League with Liverpool, the Europa League with Chelsea and the UEFA Cup and two La Liga titles with Valencia, among other successes.

An expert tactician who makes his teams hard to break down, his style could be very different from Cooper's but he would be an inspired choice.

He is adored by the fan bases of several previous clubs, most notably Liverpool and Newcastle, getting to know the city and connecting with the supporters. If he does end up at the City Ground, there seems every chance of him doing the same with the Forest faithful.