Nottingham Forest loanee James Garner is set to be given a chance to stake his claim for a place in Manchester United’s squad in the summer, according to reports.
In his second spell at the City Ground, the 21-year-old has been a key figure in the Reds’ promotion push this term. He has cemented his place in midfield and continued to make great progress under the charge of Steve Cooper.
Premier League duo Leeds United and Southampton have been linked with the youngster ahead of the transfer window opening, and there has been some suggestion his parent club could consider letting him go in the summer. The arrival of Erik ten Hag as manager, however, may have changed the situation.
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The Dutchman will take up post at Old Trafford at the end of this season, taking over from interim boss Ralf Rangnick. According to Football League World, Garner is set to get an opportunity to impress Ten Hag in pre-season as the new man runs the rule over his players.
United are facing something of an overhaul once this campaign is completed. And it is said Ten Hag is keen to give the England Under-21 international “an opportunity to be a part of his plans”.
Technical director Darren Fletcher has previously said the top-flight heavyweights will cast an eye over Garner and his fellow loanees ahead of the 2022/23 season. "I’m working closely with Nick Cox, as head of academy, to look at the long-term strategy for bringing players through,” Fletcher said. “We have to manage the balance between allowing them to develop and creating the right steps for that, without piling the pressure onto them.
"Along with Nick, I’m looking at how we best use the loan system to give academy players invaluable experience at other clubs. We currently have 13 young players and academy products on loan and playing regularly in other divisions or leagues.
"Hopefully we’ll see players like Brandon Williams, Teden Mengi, Jimmy Garner, Ethan Laird, Tahith Chong, and Amad Diallo reap the benefits of that. All of them are doing really well on loan and we’re excited to bring them back in pre-season to see how they fare with our first-team players.”
