In a season where Manchester United’s midfield has so often come up short, many fans have looked enviously on at James Garner. The midfielder may sadly miss out on Nottingham Forest’s play-off final against Huddersfield after sustaining an injury in extra time of their penalty shootout victory against Sheffield United.
During his time on loan, the 21-year-old has greatly impressed with his defensive abilities and energetic work rate, qualities that United’s senior players have often failed to produce. He also played a key part in their cup run this season, with pivotal involvements in knock-outs against Leicester and Arsenal.
Despite this, United may need to err on the side of caution when it comes to deciding the Englishman’s status next season. The step up to the Premier League is huge. Throwing Garner into a club that has had a poor season but will maintain high expectations will make that challenge even harder.
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Chelsea faced a similar dilemma with Crystal Palace loanee Conor Gallagher, who will likely play his final game for the Eagles this weekend against United. Gallagher is just a year older than Garner but has had far more loan spells.
Despite the obvious talent showcased at Championship teams Charlton and Swansea, Chelsea were happy to sanction further loan spells to give the Englishman more Premier League experience. Since then, he has won two player of the year awards in two seasons for West Brom and Crystal Palace while competing in the Premier League.
With several years’ worth of regular game-time behind him, he is surely now ready for high expectations of Chelsea. Garner does not share that Premier League experience and may well benefit from sticking at Forest if they get promoted, or a spell at a different Premier League team.
He has just two top flight appearances to his name, compared with Gallagher’s 62. Of course, there is no ‘one size fits all’ when it comes to young prospects. Anthony Elanga, just 20, has shown great promise playing for United’s first team.
Furthermore, Garner may well get the game-time he needs at United given the imminent departures of Nemanja Matic, Paul Pogba and Juan Mata. However, if Ten Hag believes he would benefit from regular game-time at a club with less pressure, Gallagher has illustrated how beneficial that can be.
Playing at clubs with less scrutiny has allowed Gallagher and countless other young players to iron out mistakes in their game before making exceeding at the top level. Garner’s immediate future will be likely decided in pre-season.
In situations like these, some trust must be placed in the coaching team, given they will have the best understanding of Garner’s level. The decisions made this summer will decide the trajectory of his career.
