Jair Cunha is quietly transforming his career trajectory in East Nottinghamshire. After arriving at the City Ground during the summer of 2025, the imposing central defender endured a relatively low-key maiden campaign in English football, finding regular minutes hard to come by under previous management.
However, fast forward to the current 2026/27 campaign under Oliver Glasner, and Cunha has undergone a stunning transformation. The young defender has locked down a regular starting berth, playing every single minute of Nottingham Forest’s opening three Premier League fixtures while high-profile arrival Ousmane Diomande works his way back to full match fitness.
While questions have lingered among supporters regarding the defensive stability of figures like Nikola Milenkovic, Cunha’s stock has skyrocketed overnight. Late on Wednesday night, a monumental piece of news broke that has put the defender on cloud nine—and sent shockwaves through the Forest dressing room regarding the club’s internal pecking order.
Jair Cunha Earns Maiden Senior Brazil Call-Up
Ahead of the first international break of the Premier League season, the Brazilian Football Confederation announced their latest senior squad for an upcoming fixture against Australia. To the delight of Forest fans and the astonishment of pundits, Jair Cunha has officially received the nod from Carlo Ancelotti.
The call-up marks a monumental career milestone for the 21-year-old, who will now travel with the Seleção hoping to earn his very first senior international cap. While Cunha previously represented his country at the under-20 level with eight appearances, a breakthrough into the star-studded senior setup seemed a distant dream during his stop-and-start debut season in England.
This massive accolade serves as ultimate vindication for Cunha’s perseverance, while simultaneously highlighting the questionable decision-making of former manager Sean Dyche. Dyche stubbornly refused to trust or deploy the young center-back last term, even during periods when the squad was critically depleted of defensive options. Under Glasner, however, Cunha has been given the platform to showcase his immense potential, and he has grabbed it with both hands.
A Worrying Development for Teammate Murillo
While the City Ground celebrates Cunha’s international recognition, the news carries a distinctly worrying implication for one of his key defensive teammates: Murillo.
For the past couple of seasons, Murillo has been viewed as Nottingham Forest’s crown jewel at the back and a near-guaranteed fixture in international calculations for Brazil. However, with Cunha now catching the eye of Ancelotti and establishing himself as an undroppable pillar in Glasner’s Premier League XI, the internal competition for national team selection has intensified dramatically.
Murillo will now know that he must seriously knuckle down and elevate his domestic performances if he hopes to win back his spot in the Seleção reckoning.
What This Means for Forest’s Defensive Rotation
Compounding the intrigue is the impending full fitness of newcomer Ousmane Diomande, who is waiting eagerly in the wings to stake his claim in Forest’s backline. Earlier in the season, pundits speculated that Cunha might be the odd man out once Diomande reached peak physical condition.
However, in light of this senior Brazil call-up and his flawless start to the domestic campaign, the dynamic has shifted entirely. It is now virtually impossible to envision Glasner dropping an in-form, internationally recognized defender.
For Jair Cunha, the journey from a overlooked squad player to a senior Brazil international has been remarkably swift. If he can maintain this stellar run of form upon returning from international duty, Nottingham Forest’s defensive future is in exceptionally safe hands.
