Nottingham Forest's transfer-listed Irish striker David Freeman has failed to impress at Port Vale after a month's loan at the club and has returned to the City Ground.

The 20-year-old striker had a month to prove his worth to Port Vale boss Brian Horton but failed to do so.

He played in only three games for the club, which were all defeats, and failed to register a goal in his time there.

Port Vale's signing of Wimbledon's Wayne Gray pushed Freeman even further away from the reckoning and it was inevitable that he would not be offered a contract by Horton.

Freeman, who was a member of the Ireland u18 European Championship winning team in 1998, will be on the look-out for another club because he has no hope at the moment of forcing his way into the Forest line-up.