The ongoing transfer saga involving Manchester United and Frenkie de Jong shows little sign of being resolved any time soon.
United have made Barcelona midfielder De Jong their their chief target this summer. They are keen to re-unite him with manager Erik ten Hag as he embarks on his first season in the Old Trafford hot seat.
The Spanish giants are open to selling the Dutchman and United clearly want to make him their latest recruit, following in the footsteps of Christian Eriksen, Tyrell Malacia and Lisandro Martinez. But a number of hiccups are said to be preventing the deal from being completed, with reports citing wage demands and the fact United cannot offer Champions League football next season.
Speaking broadly on the topic, Ten Hag spoke about what he wants as he looks to bolster an engine room that has seen no fewer than four departures this summer.
Speaking after seeing Paul Pogba, Juan Mata, Jesse Lingard and Nemanja Matic all leave at expiry of their contracts,
Ten Hag said: "We're looking for a player who can play in the holding midfield position, but it has to be the right one. There are not many in that position capable of the level we demand. When we can’t find him, we have to deal with the players in our squad now and we will develop one in that position."
One player who immediately springs to mind, and one who United fans are desperate to see fill the void, is James Garner.
Last season saw the 21-year-old really come to the fore away from United as he helped Nottingham Forest achieve promotion to the Premier League. Garner played a starring role in Forest's elevation, featuring more than 40 times and registering four goals and eight assists.
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It was the second time he had been loaned out to the East Midlands side, although the vastly improved output from his second contribution, combined with the aforementioned midfield openings at his parent club, means he is in prime position to make an impact at United.
That should come this summer, although a slight injury concern has prevented Ten Hag from having a look at him in friendly matches so far. Given the uncertainty over whether a deal for De Jong will be struck, many believe the United graduate would offer a slightly different but nevertheless useful option for the coming season.
Former Crystal Palace and Newcastle midfielder Darren Ambrose is among that group. "I think James Garner could make the step up at Manchester United. I certainly do," he said on talkSPORT.
"You look at when a manager comes into a football club, one of the first things they want to do is show they can improve players. Ten Hag certainly did that at Ajax and I think he'll be looking at a player like Garner and be thinking he can build a player like Garner into not just a normal squad, but into a Man United squad that can get back up there.
"It's happened before at United. That's potentially the way he wants to build. I think Garner is a fantastic player."
