Nottingham Forest legend Kenny Burns believes that youngster Ryan Yates needs to go out on loan in January in order to get more game time, which he believes will assist his growth.
The 20-year-old has appeared only once for his club this term, in the EFL Cup, where he turned out against League Two side Bury.
Forest legend Burns feels that the Aitor Karanka's side have too many options in the midfield at present, which is getting in the way of Yates having more game time.
As such, Burns believes it is essential that the young talent is sent out on loan in the new year.
"There are still players who are nowhere near the team who need games. Take Ryan Yates", Burns wrote in his column for the Nottingham Post.
"Forest still have way too many central midfielders. Yates is a promising young player but he needs games to really progress.
"It's essential he goes out on loan in January.
"He's not featured in the first team much because there is so much quality in the centre of midfield."
The academy recruit was promoted to the senior level in 2016 and has since gone out on four consecutive loan spells, with the last of them being at League One side Scunthorpe United.
At Scunthorpe, Yates managed a total of 16 appearances, scoring two goals and setting up one more for his team-mates.
