Nottingham Forest journalist Greg Mitchell has been sharing his thoughts on Forest midfielder James Garner and his future at the Midlands club.
This comes after Mitchell recently made an appearance on the latest episode of Nottinghamshire Live’s Forest-themed podcast Garibaldi Red where he spoke about a number of topics concerning the Championship club.
On the subject of Garner, who is currently on a loan deal from Manchester United’s U23 squad until the end of the current season, and the possibility of him staying at Forest for next season, Mitchell had this to say on the matter.
He said: “It’s typical of the gulf between the top Premier League sides and where we are in the Championship.
“I’d be amazed if he was anywhere near the Man United squad next season, and that’s what gives me hope that if we could have him next season, he could be the difference.
“He could be the player like we had in Matty Cash last year – I know it’s different positions – but just that cut above what we’ve got at the minute that can really change a game and give the other players so much confidence and hopefully, selfishly, he’s not ready for a Man United squad number yet, because he is superb, he’s such a good player, such a young player.
“I’d be so happy to get him next season, I really would.”
Since his arrival at Forest back in January, the 20-year-old, who is currently valued at £3.6 million, has made 12 appearances for Chris Hughton’s side in the Championship, scoring one goal along the way (per Transfermarkt).
TIF Thoughts on Greg Mitchell’s comments on Garner and his future with Forest…
Taking into account how Garner has played 90 minutes in all but one of the 12 Championship appearances he’s made for Forest since his arrival, this shows that he has become an important figure in the squad despite only joining them in January.
Would you be happy if Forest managed to sign Garner permanently this summer?
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Also, with Garner having managed to earn himself a decent season rating of 6.85/10 for his performances with the club so far, making him the highest-rated Forest player in this campaign (as per WhoScored), this makes it understandable why Mitchell is keen for the club to keep hold of him beyond his current loan deal.
In our view, if Garner would be guaranteed lots of playing time with Forest, then they should try their hardest to keep hold of him next season, either on another loan or a potential permanent deal.
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