Rangers-linked Scott McKenna was recalled to the Nottingham Forest squad for their FA Cup draw with League One Blackpool.
The Premier League side battled back from two goals down to spare their blushes in the match at the City Ground, the 2-2 draw forcing a replay at Bloomfield Road.
Jordan Lawrence-Gabriel had given Blackpool the lead in the 25th minute before Albie Morgan had the Seasiders in dreamland two minutes later.
Nicolas Dominguez pulled one back for Forest six minutes before half-time before Morgan Gibbs-White equalised ten minutes after the restart.
Scott McKenna returns to Nottingham Forest squad
Rangers-linked Scott McKenna – who has also been linked to Turkish side Trabzonspor – was an unused substitute in the match but returned to the Nottingham Forest squad for the first time since September.
With former Ibrox loanee Joe Worrall playing the full 90 minutes, it means both players have now returned to the Nottingham Forest fold after being banished earlier in the season.
Both Worrall and McKenna were forced to train away from the first-team under former Nottingham Forest manager Steve Cooper back in early December.
But now Scott McKenna found himself out of the picture under new manager Nuno Espírito Santo, the defender not playing since the 1-1 draw with Burnley back in September.
That’s despite McKenna, 27, starting the club’s first five Premier League matches of the campaign.
Rangers linked to Premier League defender
Whilst McKenna never got off the bench against Blackpool, the Scotland international’s presence in the matchday squad will come as a huge boost to the former Aberdeen star.
Out of contract at the end of the season, there may well be signs of life in the centre-back’s Forest career yet as Rangers reportedly mull over a move.
With Old Firm rivals Celtic also said to have pulled out of the running, Rangers fans will be watching closely to see how the story progresses over the coming weeks.
New Nottingham Forest manager Nuno Espírito Santo admitted before the match that “no final decisions” had been taken on any player in the Forest squad.
That’s even if the Portuguese boss admitted the club are looking to “reduce” their bloated 33-man squad in the transfer window.
