As the season draws to a close, Manchester United’s loanees will be aiming to make a late push to impress incoming manager Erik ten Hag.
For a lot of the players who made their way out on temporary moves from Old Trafford, their campaign is already over, and they’ll have to wait and see what their new boss has in store for them back at United. For others though, there’s still plenty to play for.
Donny van de Beek and Brandon Williams missed out on their chances to stake a claim ahead of Ten Hag’s arrival, with the former left out of Everton’s squad against Brentford as the latter was left on the bench. There were though five United loanees in action on Saturday, and we’ve taken a look at how they got on.
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James Garner
Garner went another step closer to getting a promotion to the Premier League on his CV as Nottingham Forest won the first leg of their play-off semi-final against Sheffield United. The midfielder played the full 90 minutes as the visitors claimed a 2-1 victory thanks to goals from Jack Colback and Brennan Johnson, with Sander Berge hitting back late on for the Blades.
It wasn’t quite the all-action display we’ve come to expect from Garner this season, although he nevertheless played an important part as Forest took a vital advantage into their second leg. They’ll be hoping to book their place at Wembley back at the City Ground as they chase their long-awaited return to the top tier.
Nathan Bishop
Garner isn’t the only United player looking to earn promotion through the play-offs. Young goalkeeper Nathan Bishop is looking to go up from League Two with Mansfield, and the Stags made the perfect start to their semi-final against Northampton.
Mansfield earned a 2-1 win at home to the Cobblers to ensure they take an advantage into the return leg. Bishop and his defence were kept fairly busy as they had to work hard for their victory, with plenty of work still to do to book their place at Wembley.
Amad
Amad was handed another opportunity to impress as Rangers began one of the biggest weeks in their history with a victory in their final league game of the season. The Ibrox outfit completed their Scottish Premiership campaign with a 3-1 win at Hearts.
Amad was handed a rare start in a much-changed side by Giovanni van Bronckhorst, but he unfortunately didn’t quite grasp his opportunity as he was substituted just after the hour mark. The 19-year-old though could still get the chance to make a huge contribution as Rangers head into their date with destiny in the Europa League final on Wednesday.
Dylan Levitt
Levitt ended his spell on loan at Dundee United on a high as he helped his side to victory against Ross County, and in the process qualification for next season’s Europa Conference League. The Terrors secured their best finish in the Premiership since 2014 as a 2-1 win saw them leapfrog Motherwell into fourth.
Levitt has been in fine goal-scoring form of late, although he couldn’t continue his run as he missed a great chance to add to his tally early in the second half. The 21-year-old will now face a wait to see what his future holds, with his contract at Old Trafford expiring this summer.
Andreas Pereira
Another player whose future is very much up in the air, Pereira has endured a torrid few months as his hopes of a permanent move to Flamengo look to have collapsed. The midfielder has found himself out of favour with the Brazilian side following his high-profile mistake in the Copa Libertadores final.
Pereira was given a 15-minute cameo on Saturday as Flamengo dropped points at Ceara, with the hosts grabbing a last-minute equaliser in a 2-2 draw. With a year still remaining on his contract at United, we’re no nearer to knowing what the summer holds for the 26-year-old.
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