Out-of-favour Nottingham Forest midfielder John Bostock has been praised for his “professional” attitude by Sabri Lamouchi.
The 27-year-old is on loan at the City Ground from Toulouse but has struggled for game time during his spell on the banks of the Trent, finding himself down the pecking order.
He has been linked with a switch to Charlton Athletic for the second half of the season, having not played for the Reds since November 27 and made only five appearances in total.
But Lamouchi says that is not why Bostock was left out of the matchday squad against Chelsea on Sunday.
A number of players were given the chance to get some minutes under their belts in the 2-0 FA Cup defeat at Stamford Bridge, but Bostock was not one.
Lamouchi says he simply wanted to give some younger players an opportunity, with teenagers Alex Mighten and Brennan Johnson starting against the Blues, while Tyrese Fornah and Yassine En-Neyah both made their debuts from the bench.
A youthful list of substitutes also included fellow academy youngsters George Shelvey, Liam Sole and Jordan Gabriel, with Lamouchi keen to give the next generation some valuable experience.
“It was just a choice,” Lamouchi said of not including Bostock, amid the rumours about his departure.
“John is a very nice guy and very professional, but I preferred to give the time for some young players.
“I preferred to put the young players on the bench and to maybe give some of them chances during the game.
“That was my thoughts.”
Bostock last featured for Forest against QPR, when he came on for the final 15 minutes of their 4-0 victory.
His only Championship start for the club so far this season was the 1-0 defeat at Wigan Athletic in October.
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