Lewis O’Brien faces spending the rest of the season on the sidelines after not being included in Nottingham Forest’s 25-man squad submitted to the Premier League.

O’Brien was omitted in the list, published by the league last night, with free agent signing Andre Ayew taking up the final place in Steve Cooper's squad.

That comes amid the ongoing saga involving the midfielder who was set to join Rovers on loan for the remainder of the season from Forest on deadline day.

That would have seen the move become permanent, with terms agreed on a three-year deal, though only if Rovers were to win promotion to the Premier League. A £10m transfer fee was settled on.

However, issues over the paperwork late on Tuesday night saw the 11pm deadline missed and the EFL not sanctioning the deal.

Rovers have liaised with the EFL and were given the chance to make their case surrounding the mitigating factors and ones the club say were out of their control regarding the transfer of O’Brien, and Rochdale midfielder Ethan Brierley.

Those claims were rejected by the EFL, with Rovers announcing yesterday they plan to appeal against the decision, with a hearing scheduled for Tuesday, February 7.

Since 2019/20, the Premier League have introduced 25-man squads, with clubs outlining who they want to register to feature in the competition. Those are made after each transfer window.

There are exceptions for players under 21, and it doesn’t apply to cup competitions.

O’Brien has played 17 times for Forest this season, including 13 in the Premier League, six of which were starts.

However, should Rovers’ appeal be rejected, he faces that being his final action of the season with Forest out of both cup competitions.

O’Brien would therefore find himself playing Under-21s football until the summer when a decision over his future would be taken.