Nottingham Forest are reportedly keen on making on-loan Manchester United midfielder James Garner’s move permanent.
According to The Athletic, Nottingham Forest could make a permanent move for James Garner if they manage to get promoted to the Premier League. But that largely depends on whether Manchester United want to incorporate him to their first team or not.
Garner is currently on his second loan stint in Nottingham and has grown into an important member of the Forest squad. He made 20 Championship appearances in consecutive seasons for Watford and Nottingham, respectively, scoring four goals in the league.
The aforementioned report claims that upon his return to Manchester United after the 2020/21 season, Garner was eager to return to Nottingham. He was so convinced that he was going to return to the club for another year-long stint that he stayed a part of the players’ WhatsApp group. He has also been hailed by the Nottingham fans for his performance and is enjoying his time at the club.
Garner has been highly impressive this season and was especially hailed for his performance against Liverpool in the FA Cup. Though Forest lost 1-0, the Manchester United midfield prospect was singled out for a solid performance from the middle of the park. In 36 appearances this season for Forest, he has scored thrice and provided six assists.
Nottingham are currently ninth in the Championship table, with 58 points in 36 matches, three points off sixth-placed Blackburn Rovers in the final playoff spot and also have three matches in hand. With the club well-placed to make it to the playoffs if things go to plan for the rest of the season, they are planning to sign Garner permanently.
Manchester United, too, could be looking for a midfield signing this summer, considering the impending exit of Paul Pogba, on top of the need to sign a world-class central midfielder. But it is unlikely that they could look at Garner to solve their midfield crisis despite the young prospect being impressive on his loan spells.
Other Premier League clubs could be interested in Garner after having a look at him in January, making it imperative for Nottingham Forest to gain promotion to the English top flight. It remains to be seen if Garner has a future at Manchester United, though.