Erik ten Hag wants to ‘assess’ James Garner during pre-season

Erik ten Hag wants a closer look at James Garner before a decision is made on the Englishman’s short-term future.

Here at Old Trafford Faithful, we’re massive James Garner fans. We’ve been calling for the young man to be given his opportunity for at least a couple of years.

We’ve probably jumped the gun a little bit, with Garner still developing and growing as a player. However, he’s done a stellar job for Nottingham Forest this term – and it has been an absolute pleasure watching him play for the Championship outfit.

With Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic leaving, the path into the United setup may never be clearer for Garner.

Now we’ve been given an update from Jonathan Shrager about where Garner’s future could lie in the short-term.

According to Shrager, Ten Hag wants the young midfielder to report back to United for pre-season. The Dutch gaffer wants the midfielder involved in training so that he can ‘assess’ him as a player. After that, a decision will be made on whether Garner will be loaned out again.

For me, it feels a bit like now or never. Garner has been on the fringes for a while now and he’ll never have a better shot at forcing his way into the senior setup.

I know he’s still young at 21, but if Ten Hag doesn’t deem his style suitable for a first-team spot now, when there’s at least one or two openings, I’m not sure he ever will.

You also have to consider what else Garner could learn from another loan move – particularly if the Englishman ends up back in the Championship.

I could sort of come around to the belief that a Premier League loan spell may help out the Birkenhead-born-midfielder, but I’d much prefer to see Garner utilised as a fringe player here at Old Trafford instead.

Do you think James Garner should be given a first-team chance under Erik ten Hag? Let us know your thoughts in the comment box below.