Nuno, who will take charge of Forest's upcoming clash with Bournemouth, returns to English football after a two-year absence since he left Tottenham Hotspur after an ill-fated four-month stay.

He has been out of work since leaving Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad in November and takes over at Forest with the club five points above the relegation zone.

The 49-year-old replaces Cooper, who lost his job after a run of one win in 13 Premier League matches.

Cooper, 44, had the support of the Forest fans after taking the club from the bottom of the EFL Championship to Premier League survival last season.

It was fan power that saved him from the sack last term but with another summer of heavy investment from owner Evangelos Marinakis, the Greek businessman lost patience.

Nuno, who met his players and took training on Wednesday, will be expected to lead Forest away from danger in the second half of the campaign.

He will be hoping to recapture the magic that saw him become one of the hottest properties in the Premier League when he guided Wolverhampton Wanderers to back-to-back seventh-placed finishes after winning promotion from the Championship.

He also took the Molineux club to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Europa League and was chosen by Spurs as the man to replace Jose Mourinho in the summer of 2021.

However, he lasted just 10 Premier League games before being sacked and was heavily criticised for his pragmatic style of play.

He was linked with a return to Wolves a  little more a year ago, but the midlands club instead chose Julen Lopetegui.