Lewis Grabban was always going to have work hard to keep his place in the Nottingham Forest side this season, perhaps unlike previous seasons.

In his two years at Nottingham Forest, Grabban has been Forest's main man up front. The 32-year-old has made 78 league starts for the Reds, scoring 36 goals in the Championship.

Grabban scored 20 goals last season to spearhead Forest to a seventh-placed finish, in a season where they really should have finished in the play-offs.

The striker's goals were key for Sabri Lamouchi's side, with Rafa Mir, Tyler Walker and Nuno da Costa failing to provide the experienced front-man with quality competition.

This season, things are different. The club brought in Lyle Taylor on a free transfer in the summer, with the 30-year-old hitting the ground running at the City Ground.

In the absence of Grabban - who has been out injured with a hip problem for the last four games - Taylor has scored three goals in his last two matches, taking his tally up to four goals for the season.

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Taylor is improving game-by-game, with the striker netting a brace and producing an all-round impressive performance against Wycombe Wanderers at the weekend.

Miguel Angel Guerrero - another striker who was brought in during the summer - also impressed against the Chairboys, playing alongside Taylor but also dropping back and acting as a number 10.

The international break is now upon us, and Grabban will be edging closer to making a return from the sidelines and hopeful of regaining a place in the side.

But it is important that Hughton sticks to his guns and continues to play Taylor.

Grabban may have captained Forest for a majority of this season, and he also may have scored 20 goals last season, but no player has any defying right to walk straight into a team, especially when Taylor is starting to find his form in front of goal.

You have to consider the message it would send to Taylor, too. His performances have been nothing short of faultless in recent weeks, so if he were to be dropped as soon as Grabban is back fit and available, his morale would surely drop.

Of course, Grabban will be important for Forest this season, as will many players given the hectic schedule of the Championship this season, especially in December.

Squad depth is needed, and players need to work hard and push each other to the limit for the team to reap the rewards.

But there is a new man in town, now, and despite being Forest's main source of goal threat over the last couple of years, Grabban will now have to get used to working hard for his place in a Garibaldi shirt.