Aitor Karanka right to drop Nottingham Forest man following poor form – opinion

Aitor Karanka left Gil Dias on the bench in Nottingham Forest’s 0-0 draw with Derby County on Monday night, after dropping him against Preston North End nine days previously. He played 750 minutes from a possible 1260 in the first two months of the season but has been handed only 143 minutes of playing time since late-October.

The 22-year-old had been a regular on the wing since joining Forest on loan from AS Monaco over the summer, making a total of 19 Championship appearances this season, but he’s failed to score or create a goal and has finally been taken out of the firing line by Karanka.

Dias had only made one league start since October 24, but he was frequently brought on from the bench without vindicating his manager’s faith. The Forest boss appears to have lost his patience with the loanee and will rely on Joe Lolley and Matty Cash in his stead. Lolley has contributed 13 goals in 21 league games while Cash has scored and created four goals in 18 outings.

The Portuguese u21 international looks set for an extended spell on the sidelines.

Crippy Cooke’s previous article