Nottingham Forest lost 2-0 at Manchester City on Saturday and for Scott McKenna, time could soon be up at the City Ground. The Reds defender wasn’t named in the 20-man squad to face the champions at the Etihad Stadium.
The left-sided central defender deserves zero criticism. Since checking in at Forest during the summer of 2020, McKenna has proved to be a quality player and also a very likeable character.
Scott McKenna:
What is the story?
The man with 29 caps for Scotland has given everything for the club. Forest took a chance on McKenna from Aberdeen after other English clubs considered signing him.
After a difficult first season at the club in terms of injuries, McKenna really kicked on during 2021/22. He was integral as the club won promotion and missed just one game in the Championship all season.
During that memorable campaign, he was named the club’s Player of the Year and to cap things off, he also won the Man of the Match accolade as Forest won the play-off final at Wembley.
Last season, McKenna played well in the Premier League. He played a total of 24 games, but missed part of the season due to a hamstring problem that occurred in February.
Could McKenna now leave Forest?
It will be a sad day, but perhaps the 26-year-old could simply fall foul of the sign of the times. Forest are now a Premier League club and will have to make a difficult decision. McKenna’s contract expires in the summer of 2024. He will therefore be allowed to discuss pre-contract terms with foreign clubs as early as January if an offer comes in.
The defender escaped a questionable tackle in the match against Burnley. A goal was denied when Sander Berge handled it, but the whole situation did not bring glory to McKenna.
Quite simply he perhaps lacks the pace required to play consistently well in the Premier League. Right now, he’s a decent squad option should Steve Cooper want to play three at the back.
With the likes of Murillo and Andrew Omobamidele now joining Joe Worrall, Willy Boly, Moussa Niakhate and Felipe as the central defensive options, things look bleak for McKenna.
He wasn’t in the 20-man squad for Saturday’s game at Manchester City. With that in mind, this could be Forest’s way of saying that they’re now preparing for life after McKenna at the end of this season.
