Garry Birtles admits he has sympathy for Nottingham Forest striker Lyle Taylor ahead of the summer transfer window.

It has been a frustrating campaign for Taylor, who joined Forest on a free transfer following the expiry of his contract at Charlton Athletic.

The 31-year-old is Forest's leading goalscorer, having scored four goals in the Championship and five goals across all competitions.

The striker has made 35 appearances in the Championship, but only 13 of those have been starts, and he has fallen behind Lewis Grabban and Glenn Murray in the pecking order.

It remains to be seen what lies in store for Taylor heading into the summer, with the player's future looking uncertain.

Speaking on the Garibaldi Red podcast, former Forest forward spoke of his sympathy for Taylor and said he believes that the system doesn't suit him.

He said: "I feel a bit sorry for Lyle Taylor, because as a striker, I know you need to play consistently to have an impact in any division.

“It is about game time, and he’s not been getting that. You can lose it in your mind a little, because you’re aggrieved at not playing and you’re seeing the players out there not scoring either.

“And I think the system Forest play perhaps doesn’t suit him. But I would go for total freshness up front next season. To have nobody in double-figures for goals is incredibly poor by any standards.”

Forest are unbeaten in their last three games and have picked up seven points from a possible nine.

The Verdict

I fully expect Taylor to leave the club this summer.

He doesn't seem to be a part of Chris Hughton's plans, and that's evident from him bringing in Glenn Murray in the January transfer window.

He's likely to be on big money and you get the feeling that Hughton will want to bring in another centre forward this summer, perhaps hinting that he is the most likely to leave the City Ground.