Nottingham Forest have had their fair share of players over the years that have made a positive impact at the City Ground. 

The Reds endured a frustrating league campaign whilst under the management of Chris Hughton last term, as they finished 17th in the Championship table.

But there are positives to look towards heading into the 2021/22 campaign, with some upcoming young talents looking to make their mark in the first-team.

We take a look at the best Nottingham Forest XI containing only English players from the last 15 years.

Find out which player starts us off between the posts, on the next page....

Karl Darlow is the first name on the list, with the goalkeeper making 111 appearances in total for Nottingham Forest. He kept 35 clean sheets in total for the Reds during that time, and caught the eye with some impressive showings between the posts.

Darlow's strong performances saw him head to St James' Park with Newcastle United, in a move which hasn't quite turned out as he would have originally hoped.

The shot-stopper has been restricted to 91 appearances in total for the Magpies, with Martin Dúbravka being the preferred option between the posts in recent seasons.

Matty Cash works himself into the team, with the 23-year-old catching the eye with a number of impressive performances in his time with the club.

Cash started out as a winger with the Reds, but found himself excelling at right-back towards the final few seasons with Nottingham Forest.

His strong performances saw him earn a move to Premier League side Aston Villa, where he has since gone on to feature regularly for Dean Smith's side.

Cash remains a popular player at the City Ground, and more than deserves a place in the team.

Joe Worrall is the first current name in the squad, with the defender still playing for Nottingham Forest, as they prepare for the upcoming 2021/22 league campaign.

Worrall has been with the club since 2011, and has made 137 appearances in total for the Reds, which includes 33 from the 2020/21 season, as Forest finished 17th in the Championship table.

The defender has been linked with a move away from the City Ground in recent seasons, but remains a Nottingham Forest player.

Chris Hughton will be hoping Worrall can stick around with the club this term, as they look to challenge higher up the second-tier standings.

Wes Morgan is Worrall's defensive partner in this team, with the experienced centre-back making 392 appearances in total for the Reds.

He was previously on the books with Notts County and Dunkirk earlier in his career, but moved to Nottingham Forest in 2000. Morgan spent ten seasons with the club, before departing in favour of a move to Leicester City.

Morgan has certainly gone on to bigger and better things since leaving Forest, as he captained Leicester City to the Premier League title in the 2015/16 season, which is likely to be his standout moment in his career to date in football.

Julian Bennett is the left-back included in the team, with the former Nottingham Forest defender signing for the club at senior level in 2006.

Bennett had previously played for the Reds during his youth career, before moving to Scunthorpe United in 1998. But after impressing with Walsall during the early stages of his senior career, he earned a return to the City Ground.

The left-back made 107 appearances for Nottingham Forest's first-team, and impressed for the Reds, before heading to Hillsborough with Sheffield Wednesday in 2011.

Chris Cohen is next up, with the 34-year-old having plenty of memorable moments in his time with Nottingham Forest.

The midfielder signed for the club back in 2007, and went on to make 303 appearances in total for the Reds, before leaving the club in the summer of 2018.

His most memorable moment in a Forest shirt is likely to be his long-range goal against Ipswich Town on the final day of the 2016/17 season, which kept the Reds in the Championship for another season.

Cohen is now working as a first-team coach with Luton Town.

Lewis McGugan is the next central midfielder on the list, with his efforts in his time with the club not going unnoticed by plenty of the City Ground faithful.

The 32-year-old had come through the club's academy system, before moving into the first-team picture in 2006.

He certainly made a positive impact whilst with the Reds, and scored some stunning goals in his time with the Championship side.

McGugan netted 44 goals, and was on hand to provide 27 assists in his 227 appearances for Forest, before departing in 2013.

Henri Lansbury wasn't the most popular of players to be included in this team, but when you're looking at his statistics from his time with Nottingham Forest, he's deserved his spot in the team in the centre of midfield.

Lansbury had previously been playing for Arsenal during his youth career, but moved to Nottingham Forest in 2012 in search of regular minutes in senior football.

He certainly found that with the Reds, as he made 150 appearances in total for the club. That faith was repaid as well, as Lansbury scored 33 goals, and provided 20 assists in total for the club, which makes for good reading.

Joe Lolley is the next current player in the Reds team to be included in the team, with the winger catching the eye with some strong displays for the Reds over the years.

Lolley signed for the club in 2018, having made a good impression whilst at Huddersfield Town. He has since gone on to make 141 appearances in total for Nottingham Forest, although he struggled for consistent game time due to injuries in the 2020/21 season.

The winger was on hand to score 11 goals and provide 11 assists during the 2018/19 season, as Forest narrowly missed out on a top-six finish in the second tier standings.

The City Ground faithful will be hoping to see Lolley back to his best this term, as they look to challenge higher up the Championship table.

Michail Antonio is the next winger in the team, with the 31-year-old catching the eye with some strong displays for Nottingham Forest earlier in his career.

He had previously been on the books with Reading and Sheffield Wednesday, before completing a move to the City Ground in 2014.

His stay with Nottingham Forest was a brief one though, with Antonio making 54 appearances for the club. But he certainly made a positive impact with the Reds, having scored 19 goals, and provided 15 assists in his time with them.

Those strong showings earned him a move to West Ham United in 2015, and he's now featuring regularly for the Hammers in the Premier League.

Lewis Grabban earns his spot as the central striker in the Nottingham Forest team, with the 33-year-old playing his part in a tricky few seasons for the Reds of late.

He has previously caught the eye with some strong performances for the likes of Norwich City, Reading and AFC Bournemouth over the years.

Grabban signed for Nottingham Forest in 2018, and has gone on to score 43 goals, and be on hand to provide six assists for his team-mates so far.

He netted 20 goals in the 2019/20 season, but injuries disrupted his 2020/21 campaign, and the Forest supporters will be eager to see him back to his best in the near future.