Lyle Taylor has hit back at Sabri Lamouchi after the former Nottingham Forest manager made claims about the striker's fitness.
Taylor became Lamouchi's third signing of the summer in August, joining Forest on a free transfer following the expiration of his contract at Charlton Athletic.
Taylor refused to play for Charlton in the final nine games of the season after lockdown, meaning that he went almost five months without playing in a competitive first-team fixture.
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Since joining Forest, the 30-year-old has made only one starting appearance for the Reds, with last season's top goalscorer Lewis Grabban being selected ahead of him.
Lamouchi has now left Forest after being relieved of his duties by the club, with Chris Hughton recently coming in as his successor.
Speaking on the Counter Attack Podcast, Taylor has hit back at Lamouchi after the Frenchman made claims about the striker's fitness.
He said: "The big thing for me is, I was out of football for effectively five months.
“I was running and keeping myself in shape, but nothing can prepare you for a game of football, so I was out of football for five months.
“If you have a five-month injury, and then you have a three week, lets call it pre-season to get yourself back to fitness, you’re going to be nowhere near it.”
“He (Lamouchi) made a comment about me not being fit enough, which, fine, I’m not fit enough, but if I’m not playing games, I’m not allowed to play in the U23s, what can I do?
“I’m doing extra running, I’m doing everything over and above what I’ve been set to do and, I’ll be honest with you, I’ve been working on all sorts of stuff off the pitch to be stronger and fitter and better and it just didn’t work.”
Forest are unbeaten since Hughton took over, picking up four points from the 61-year-old's first two games in charge, and Taylor will be keen to open his account for the club sooner rather than later.
The Verdict
Taylor will be keen to start for Forest against Derby on Friday night.
The striker has been unable to showcase what he's all about so far, and with Grabban missing some glorious goalscoring opportunities of late, you have to wonder how long it'll be before Taylor gets a nod.
He's a quality forward at this level, but it was always going to take time for him to build up his fitness and sharpness after going so long without playing.