Nottingham Forest head coach Sabri Lamouchi has explained his decision to leave John Bostock out of the squad for the FA Cup clash with Chelsea yesterday, as the midfielder continues to be linked with a move away from the City Ground.

Bostock joined Forest on a season-long loan from Toulouse in the summer, but he has struggled for game time since his arrival at the club, making just five appearances in all competitions.

The 27-year-old has been linked with a move away from the City Ground recently, with Football Insider claiming that fellow Championship side Charlton Athletic are interested in taking him on loan for the second half of the season.

Bostock has not featured for Forest since the end of November and has not been included in the squad for the last seven matches.

Lamouchi made ten changes to his starting line-up for the FA Cup clash with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge yesterday and decided to give several of his fringe players a chance. Interestingly though, Bostock was not one of them.

This continued to fuel speculation that he could be set to leave Forest this month, however, Lamouchi has now explained his decision, insisting that he wanted to give some of his youngsters a chance. He also praised Bostock for his attitude.

He told Nottinghamshire Live: “It was just a choice. John is a very nice guy and very professional, but I preferred to give the time for some young players.

“I preferred to put the young players on the bench and to maybe give some of them chances during the game. That was my thoughts.”

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The Verdict

Bostock is a decent player and he's got plenty of experience, but he's really struggled to make an impact joining Nottingham Forest in the summer.

He's been used as a squad player so far and it's difficult to see that changing any time soon.

With this in mind, it wouldn't be at all surprising to see his loan spell at the City Ground come to an end this month. He could be a decent signing for Charlton, though, so it'll be interesting to see what happens.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.