Every midfielder Manchester United signs this summer is theoretically bad news for James Garner, who will get his chance to impress in pre-season but also knows the standard of competition he is up against is about to rise.
The 21-year-old returns to United on the back of an excellent loan spell at Nottingham Forest and, given the shortage of central midfield options now at Old Trafford, the highly-thought of Garner was always going to get his chance. At the moment Scott McTominay, Fred, Donny van de Beek and Bruno Fernandes are the only senior central midfielders at the club and in that mix, Garner will get games in pre-season.
It's already clear that the academy graduate will be on the plane when United head for their pre-season tour on July 8, encompassing 16 days and four friendlies in Bangkok, Melbourne and Perth.
READ MORE: United cannot ignore De Jong and Van de Beek factors in Eriksen pursuit
The question now is who else will be in Erik ten Hag's squad when the nitty-gritty of pre-season gets underway. That lengthy tour is a huge opportunity for players to impress the new management and for the 52-year-old to get his ideas across to the squad.
Garner will be a willing learner and after thriving at the City Ground last season, he is certainly ready for the step up to the Premier League. Pre-season is his chance to prove that will be with United, rather than on another loan somewhere, with a return to Forest a distinct possibility.
Speaking after his final game of a mammoth season, England Under-21s defeat to Slovenia on Monday night, Garner said he was ready to return to his parent club and try and catch the eye this summer.
“That’s the plan. That’s what I’d like to do, go on pre-season and impress," he said. "It’s down to me as a player to impress him and hopefully make a mark."
Garner insisted he'd proven his physicality for first-team football this season and given Monday was the 56th game of his season it would certainly suggest he's passed that test. He is yet to speak to Ten Hag since the Dutchman's appointment at Old Trafford and will now have a well-deserved break, but there's reason to believe he could impress this summer.
United's pursuit of Frenkie de Jong and their interest in free agent Christian Eriksen could add to the competition for Garner, but it's also instructive as to the kind of midfielder Ten Hag wants. The strength of De Jong and Eriksen lies in their ability to pick a pass and Garner excelled for Forest in that area.
There had been an expectation that a defensive midfielder would be top of United's agenda this summer. De Jong can play that holding role but rarely on his own, he's more of a progressive player than someone who breaks up opponents' attacks.
Instead, Ten Hag has focused on adding control to a midfield that lacked it so often last season. United's lack of an elite holding midfielder was regularly exposed because they lost the ball so often, so improving the ability to control games and keep the ball should help offset that.
Garner is in a similar mould to De Jong. Someone who can play at the base of midfield and likes to get stuck in, but whose primary strengths are in moving the ball forward and controlling the game.
Ten Hag's Ajax midfield in 2018/19 of De Jong, Lasse Schone and Van de Beek was built around three good passers of the ball, who could tilt games to their will. Fred and McTominay have a slightly different skillset and Fernandes is a high-risk playmaker.
The Ten Hag style could suit Garner. He will get the chance to prove that is the case in pre-season and, with five substitutes in the Premier League this season, there could be a temptation to keep him involved all season.
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