Bruno Fernandes is celebrating after signing a contract extension with Manchester United.
The Portuguese creator has penned an improved contract at Old Trafford, to keep him at Old Trafford until the summer of 2026, with an option for an extra year. After the news, Fernandes ran a special Q&A over his Twitter feed to engage with fans.
A variety of questions were posed to the 27-year-old, including one which asked: "Who's the player from the academy that you really look forward to play with one day?". Fernandes simply replied by saying James Garner, the young midfielder currently impressing out on loan at Championship side Nottingham Forest.
His performances in recent months have caught the eye with many predicting a bright future at United for the 21-year-old. He was even likened to having the same dead-ball prowess as United legend David Beckham. And it appears Fernandes is already looking ahead to the summer when Garner is due to return to his parent club after completing his second temporary stint in the East Midlands.
It is not the first time Fernandes has tipped Garner for big things. At the start of the season he told United's official website about which youngsters he thought would kick on. He said: "I think we know some of them already. Jimmy Garner, I think is a really good player, I really like him and the way he kicks the ball. He’s really aggressive off the ball too."
The other youngster he predicted to make an impact, Anthony Elanga, has already done just that and fans will hope Garner can follow suit. Fernandes said at the time: "Anthony Elanga was already playing with us and pre-season he has been brilliant. He’s a nice kid, works hard and is really humble and I think he’s deserving of everything that’s happening to him. I see a brilliant future for him and Jimmy too, and also for all the other kids."
Garner started his second loan spell at the City Ground slowly, but has kicked into gear under Steve Cooper since his September appointment. Garner has three goals and four assists as Forest look to qualify for the Championship play-offs. They are currently ninth in the table but have as many as three games in hand on the teams above them.
Speaking to the Athletic recently, Cooper was full of praise for Garner. He said: "I knew him from his England Under-17 days, where he was captain, so we had a relationship before here. He has been excellent. Over recent months he has been a high-performing player in the team. He has been a constant selection for us. The loan is proving to be a really beneficial one.
“It is important now that he stays at the same level for the run-in. He needs to get to the end of the season and be able to say that he is a better player than he was before he came here. That is always the objective of a loan. We are very happy with him. We work very hard with him and he works very hard himself.”
