Nottingham Forest stepped up their preparations for the 2021/22 Championship campaign by facing Northampton Town in a pre-season friendly yesterday.

Goals from Lyle Taylor and Cafu sealed a 2-0 victory for the Reds at Sixfields in what was an encouraging performance by Chris Hughton's side.

Whilst the likes of Jordan Gabriel, Nuno da Costa and Alex Mighten were all given the chance to impress in this particular fixture, Brennan Johnson was a notable absentee.

The winger also missed his side's recent clash with Port Vale as speculation continues to swirl regarding his future at the City Ground.

A report from The Athletic earlier this month revealed that Brentford had submitted a £3.5m bid for Johnson who is understood to be attracting a considerable amount of interest from Leeds United, Leicester City and Barnsley.

Whereas it is unlikely that Forest will accept this particular offer from the Bees due to the fact that they reportedly value the winger at £10m, it remains to be seen whether Johnson will stay at the club this summer.

Making reference to the 20-year-old's absence from his side's clash with Northampton, Hughton has revealed that the club's supporters have nothing to worry about as Johnson is set to be involved in this weekend's showdown with Crewe Alexandra.

Speaking to the Nottingham Post about the Wales international, the Forest boss said: "Tell them [Forest's fans], nothing to worry about.

"In these games, we will make decisions on who we rest and who we play.

"He [Johnson] will certainly be involved at the weekend."

GIVEMESPORT's Joshua Cole says...

With Hughton deciding to alleviate the fears that some of the club's fans may have concerning Johnson's future, it will be intriguing to see whether the winger is given the opportunity to prove himself in the Championship next season following his recent loan spell with Lincoln City.

A stand-out performer for the Imps during the previous campaign, the Forest academy graduate netted 11 goals and provided 13 assists in the third-tier as the club narrowly missed out on promotion.

Although there is still a chance that a potential suitor will decide to meet the Reds' valuation this summer, Hughton may be able to convince Johnson to stay by making assurances regarding game-time.

Providing that Johnson is able to hit the ground running for Forest later this year, there is no reason why he cannot go on to play a key role in helping the club achieve a relative amount of success in the second-tier.

Transfer News LIVE: Arsenal linked with Henderson, Townsend joins Everton

p1fb48a6ht1m6ai8s174nug73oub.jpg

Enter Giveaway