Martin O’Neill made the decision to exclude Saidy Janko from the Nottingham Forest matchday squad entirely against Derby County on Monday, with Tendayi Darikwa given the nod to start at right-back for the second consecutive game.
Janko had played five Championship games on the bounce while Darikwa was suspended, but O’Neill’s latest move could be permanent for the rest of the season. Vital Forest already compared the two right-backs, revealing that Janko provided more in attack but less in defence.
O’Neill clearly prefers stability at the back after snubbing Janko entirely against the Rams. There’s been no word on the 23-year-old that suggests he was carrying an injury, so he might find himself on the periphery for the next few weeks.
The former Switzerland u21 international has made 16 appearances in all competitions for Forest since joining on loan from FC Porto last summer. Janko was signed after Sam Byram suffered a season-ending injury, but he hasn’t held down a starting place for long.
Whether Janko makes the matchday squad for Forest’s next league outing against Stoke City remains to be seen, but it looks likely that he’ll miss out.
