Premier League outfit Leicester City are the latest side to have entered the race for Manchester United midfielder James Garner, as per a report from the Daily Mirror.
The 21-year-old has been an integral player for Nottingham Forest this season under Steve Cooper, making 47 appearances in all competitions and recording four goals and 10 assists as a valuable contributor going forward.
Also keeping the Reds ticking over in midfield, Garner is likely to leave a sizeable void to fill at the City Ground when he departs on the expiration of his loan deal with the second-tier side not having the option to make this deal permanent.
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However, officials in the East Midlands are still hopeful that the 21-year-old will return to the club in the summer despite the possibility of United boss Erik Ten Haag taking a look at him in pre-season before deciding on his next best move.
They aren’t alone in their quest to recruit the midfielder though with Leeds United and Southampton also reported to be keeping tabs on his current situation ahead of a potential move, with both sides guaranteed to be playing top-tier football next season.
Leicester will also be plying their trade in the top flight and are willing to bide their time before making a move for him, potentially putting Forest at a disadvantage in their quest to recruit him again.
However, the Reds have a great chance to boost their chances of winning this race when they face Huddersfield in the play-off final this afternoon. A win at Wembley may put them firmly in the running for his signature.
The Verdict:
This latest report just goes on to reinforce how crucial it is for Forest to come out on top this afternoon – because it would put them in an extremely strong position to recruit Garner once again next season.
Leicester may be the best side of the four interested sides mentioned – but the 21-year-old is already used to Steve Cooper’s methods and his teammates – so a return to the City Ground would make sense if they were to be promoted.
For the player, he needs game time more than anything else at this stage and this is why he needs reassurances from the Foxes, the Saints or the Whites if they made a formal approach to lure him away from Old Trafford.
Some would argue that it wouldn’t be a huge disaster if he was to only receive a limited number of first-team chances next season considering he can just return to Old Trafford again next season.
However, he’s at a delicate stage of his career and if he can thrive again next season, it could be defining for the 21-year-old who has the potential to go on and be a useful first-team player at United at some point.
Staying at Forest and under the stewardship of Cooper would seem like a safe bet and the most ideal option if they win promotion, so it will be interesting to see where he ends up.
