As Manchester United bid farewell to Paul Pogba, thoughts inevitably turn to who will be his long-term replacement in midfield – and they may already have the answer on their books.
James Garner will arrive back at Old Trafford this summer after completing a successful loan spell with Nottingham Forest, which ended with the academy graduate winning promotion to the Premier League. Now, the aim for the 21-year-old will be to catch the eye of Erik ten Hag this summer.
The new United boss will have a decision to make on Garner’s immediate future, and whether he will feature in his plans for next season. If not, he will likely head out on loan again, perhaps back to Forest, but either way the England Under-21 international has shown he is ready for his chance in the Premier League.
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Whether he’s ready to be challenging at the top end of the table with United will be up to Ten Hag to decide. In doing so, the Dutchman may well take on board Juan Mata’s prediction for Garner.
The former Spain international looks as though he will also be on his way out of Old Trafford this summer, but only after proving to be something of a mentor to Garner. And the 34-year-old has high hopes for his protégé at United.
Speaking ahead of Garner’s loan move to Watford in 2020, Mata said: “I always thought he is one of the players who, if he keeps going and keeps improving, in the way he was doing in the academy, he can be a very, very good midfielder.
"I really like him; the way he plays on the ball, his cleverness, his way of looking forward, looking for a pass and also his attitude off the ball. So, whenever he was here, I always tried to encourage him and said what I believed he could be as a player.
"I always tried to motivate him and give him confidence as I think, when you’re that age, you need confidence and trust - not only from the manager but also from your team-mates. I wish him all the best at Watford and I am sure he will do well. He’s a great guy and a very good player, as I’ve said before, because he keeps improving every day."
Garner will get his opportunity to stake a claim under Ten Hag this summer, and with United making the midfield one of their priorities for improvements, it will be interesting to see whether he can carry the same sort of form he showed at Forest into pre-season. Based on Mata’s prediction, the Reds could already have the perfect replacement for Pogba on their hands.
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