Nottingham Forest striker Lyle Taylor has hit back at former manager Sabri Lamouchi after the former Forest manager made claims over the striker's match fitness.
The former Charlton man has been named in the starting lineup just once since completing his move to the City Ground in the summer transfer window.
He had five months without playing before joining his new club for pre-season after not rejoining his former club after the restart of the 2019/20 season following the suspension of the campaign due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
“The big thing for me is, I was out of football for effectively five months,” Taylor told the Counter Attack Podcast .
“I was running and keeping myself in shape, but nothing can prepare you for a game of football, so I was out of football for five months.
“If you have a five-month injury, and then you have a three week, lets call it pre-season to get yourself back to fitness, you’re going to be nowhere near it.”
Fitness was one of the reasons Lamouchi didn’t select Taylor from the start, however, the striker can’t see another way of building up fitness than playing games.
“He (Lamouchi) made a comment about me not being fit enough, which, fine, I’m not fit enough, but if I’m not playing games, I’m not allowed to play in the U23s, what can I do?” He asked.
“I’m doing extra running, I’m doing everything over and above what I’ve been set to do and, I’ll be honest with you, I’ve been working on all sorts of stuff off the pitch to be stronger and fitter and better and it just didn’t work.”
Taylor has played a part in all six of Forest’s games so far this season but is yet to find the net as a Forest player, something that he will look to put right during the East Midland Derby on Friday night.
