Nottingham Forest defender Michael Mancienne has left the club to join MLS side New England Revolution.

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The 30-year-old versatile defender had been at the City Ground for four years after joining from German side Hamburg.

Despite featuring regularly in his first few years at the club, the Chelsea academy graduate began to fall out of favour.

That continued when Aitor Karanka took charge in January, with the former Middlesbrough boss using left-back Danny Fox in a central defensive role ahead of Mancienne.

Therefore, an exit seemed inevitable this summer, particularly with Michael Dawson returning to the East Midlands side as the manager looked to strengthen his defence.

That departure was confirmed on Forest's official website this afternoon, with Mancienne leaving to go to America, with the Revs already well into their season.

After a very busy summer, which has seen Karanka make major changes to his squad, Mancienne could be the first of many players to leave before the deadline next week.

The Verdict

This isn't a surprising move and it's a transfer that will work out well for all parties.

It's clear that Mancienne was not going to get regular football at the City Ground and he's not a player that Karanka has particularly trusted since taking over.

Now he gets to experience a new challenge, whilst Forest reduce their wage bill and trim the squad - which they desperately need to do.

Thoughts, Forest fans? Let us know in the comments below.