Worryingly for Nottingham Forest fans, their team are just six points above the relegation zone and definitely checking over their shoulders rather than looking up.

There was a glimmer of hope for Forest fans a few weeks ago, when they won three games on the spin, but that run soon ground to a halt and Forest haven't won in their last three games.

With the Reds in the middle of a takeover saga, the future of boss, Philippe Montanier, is still hanging in the balance but it looks as if he will still be in charge for what is a huge January for Forest.

Montanier definitely needs to recruit if his side are to pull away from the drop zone but he also needs to keep hold of his key players.

If he loses them, then attracting new players will be a very tough task given their league position.

Here, we will look at 2 players Forest cannot afford to lose in January...

Britt Assombalonga

Assombalonga arrived at the City Ground in 2014 in what was a club record deal for Forest.

The Congolese striker has certainly lived up to his price tag with the goals he has scored, but injury has certainly blighted his progress and maybe even denied him a more to the Premier League.

If Forest want to pull away from the bottom three, they need someone who will score them regular goals, and Assombalonga is that man.

However, plenty of Championship teams are wanting a goalscorer and they could look to Assombalonga but Forest need to stand firm and keep hold of him.

Matty Cash

Cash is a product of the Nottingham Forest academy and he has excelled in recent weeks under Montanier.

The Forest boss has deployed him in a wing back role which he seems to love and he has delivered some fantastic performances there.

His progress, however, hasn't gone unnoticed, with Premier League giants, Chelsea, being linked with a move for the youngster.

Forest can't afford to lose Cash, he plays a key role at wing back and fulfils the role well. He gets up and back and provides quality into the box, exactly what is expected of him.