Manchester United could consider letting Nottingham Forest loanee James Garner leave on a permanent deal in the summer, according to reports.
The midfielder is enjoying a fine second spell on the banks of the Trent, playing an integral role in the Reds’ promotion challenge. That form has seen him attract the interest of other clubs as they plot overhauls of their squads.
Premier League duo Leeds United and Southampton have both been linked with Garner ahead of the summer transfer window. And the Daily Mail claim his parent side “may consider a permanent sale” at the end of the season.
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The report adds that while the 21-year-old is highly regarded at Old Trafford, “their transfer priority is to add a new holding midfielder”. It is also said the player “is eager to continue his progression by playing regular first-team football”.
After something of a slow start to the campaign, Garner has found his stride and been back to his best under boss Steve Cooper at Forest. He has pinned down a place in the first-team and bagged three goals so far.
The England Under-21 international is one of several United youngsters currently plying their trade elsewhere. Technical director Darren Fletcher has previously said the top-flight heavyweights will cast an eye over Garner and his teammates ahead of the 2022/23 season.
"I’m working closely with Nick Cox, as head of academy, to look at the long-term strategy for bringing players through,” Fletcher recently said at a fans’ forum event. “We have to manage the balance between allowing them to develop and creating the right steps for that, without piling the pressure onto them.
"Along with Nick, I’m looking at how we best use the loan system to give academy players invaluable experience at other clubs. We currently have 13 young players and academy products on loan and playing regularly in other divisions or leagues.
"Hopefully we’ll see players like Brandon Williams, Teden Mengi, Jimmy Garner, Ethan Laird, Tahith Chong, and Amad Diallo reap the benefits of that. All of them are doing really well on loan and we’re excited to bring them back in pre-season to see how they fare with our first-team players.”
