Erik ten Hag will decide whether James Garner will be part of his Manchester United squad after assessing the midfielder during pre-season.
Garner, 21, has spent the last two seasons on loan with Forest, playing a key role in their promotion-winning campaign last season after over two decades outside of the Premier League.
Steve Cooper is eager to re-sign the midfielder with the club optimistic they will be at the top of the queue should his parent club allow him to leave on loan again.
United are desperately short of options in the middle of the park with Scott McTominay, Fred and 19-year-old Hannibal Mejbri their only options following the departures of Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic.
Garner will be part of United’s pre-season campaign which will include a tour of Bangkok, Thailand and Australia. Erik ten Hag will use that time to decide whether Garner will be part of his plans for the 2022-23 season.
That means Forest will have to wait on a decision from United and possibly shelve plans to move for alternative targets.
United have made strengthening their options in midfield a priority this summer with Barcelona star Frenkie de Jong their first-choice target.
The club are also considering a bid for N’Golo Kante with Chelsea ready to listen to offers for the World Cup winner.
Ten Hag’s former Ajax player Edson Alvarez is also reportedly an option under consideration while Ruben Neves remains strongly linked with a move to Old Trafford.
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