Sheffield United are rumoured to be interested in a deal to sign Manchester United midfielder James Garner on loan, according to The Sun.
What’s the story?
Garner is contracted with Manchester United until the summer of 2022, and it remains to be seen as to whether he’ll feature for their senior side anytime soon.
The midfielder spent last year’s campaign on loan with both Watford and Nottingham Forest, where he made a mixed impact with both Championship teams.
The Sun claim that Sheffield United are keen on finalising a loan agreement for Garner, who evidently made a good impression on Slavisa Jokanovic last term.
The Blades will be looking to win promotion back into the Premier League at the first time of asking, after their relegation from the top-flight last season.
‘Next Michael Carrick’
Football Insider have recently claimed that Manchester United are preparing to loan out Garner ahead of the new season after they’ve held contract talks with him over a long-term deal at Old Trafford.
Sheffield United are likely to be alerted to this rumoured update on the midfielder’s future, and they’ll be hoping they can beat a number of teams to land his signature this summer.
It has previously been reported that the likes of Forest were also keen on signing Garner on a temporary basis this summer, although it remains to be seen as to which club is leading the race at this stage.
Garner caught the eye with some strong performances for the Reds last season in particular, with the 20-year-old having an average Whoscored rating of 6.98 from the 2020/21 campaign, which put him top in the standings of Forest’s best performers.
He’s a solid performer in the defensive side of the game as well, with Garner averaging two tackles a game, as well as 1.7 interceptions per game.
The Manchester United youngster also has an eye for a pass, with a pass accuracy of 80.9% during the 2020/21 season, which makes for strong reading compared to the majority of his former Nottingham Forest teammates.
Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjær has previously likened Garner to Michael Carrick, who spent time at Old Trafford during his playing career.
“I believe he’s got the chance to have a great future, he knows we believe in him, we’ve got great faith in him as the next Michael Carrick.
“I know he’s young and I know it’s not fair on kids to compare to great players like Michael was, but he’s the same mould, he plays simple passes, plays through the lines.”
Sheff United have a number of strong options available to them in a similar position to Garner, but you would imagine that the 20-year-old could learn a considerable amount from the likes of Ollie Norwood, John Fleck and Sander Berge in the future, which would make this a fantastic signing for Jokanovic’s side if they can pull it off.
Blades supporters should be buzzing about this potential agreement with Garner, as it’d be a real statement of intent about their ambitions of returning to the Premier League this season, as he has shown he’s more than good enough to be playing for a team challenging for promotion.
The Blades are set to take on Birmingham City in their season opener, in what could potentially be a tricky test for them at Bramall Lane and hopefully for their fans, they’ll have Garner in the starting line-up.