Man Utd to keep James Garner but Nottingham Forest loan likely
Jacque Talbot
- Updated: 23 May 2023 08:46 CDT
- 3 min read
Exclusive
Manchester United will fend off interest for James Garner as they wish to keep him permanently - but he will be loaned back to Nottingham Forest, FootballTransfers can reveal.
As revealed by FootballTransfers in March, the midfielder will head back to Old Trafford in the summer to be assessed by Erik ten Hag, who at that stage was not named in post. It was also confirmed at that point that if Forest won promotion to the Premier League, they would seek to re-sign him.
Ten Hag will indeed be making a thorough assessment of the side and seeing what is at his disposal. FootballTransfers understands that Garner will join the group after his England Under-21s commitments and the expectation is he will go on pre-tour with Man Utd.
Clubs such as Everton and Leeds have been linked with Garner but the midfielder's ambition is a Midlands return.
And indeed Forest are now pushing for a loan deal with the talented youngster.
Ten Hag will wish to review his options and assess Garner during pre-season, but thereafter, the most likely scenario is that the 21-year-old will be heading back to City Ground - but not on a permanent basis.
Cooper's Merry Men
It cannot be understated how much of a pull Forest have at the moment, with a lot of their loan players who just earned promotion wishing to stay on under the wing of manager Steve Cooper.
Brennan Johnson - Wales' recent star in the Nations League - is one who will be signing a deal soon. While Djed Spence, who has attracted interest from various clubs, will look to make his move permanent unless a Champions League club like Tottenham can get his signature.
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For Garner, FootballTransfers understands that he and his family really love the club and have built a great rapport with the supporters there.
It would take a great deal of cash for Man Utd to sell to a solid Premier League club, such as Leeds and Everton
Garner is better than Championship quality and Forest provides Man Utd and Ten Hag the perfect solution.
