James Garner has established himself as a regular in the Nottingham Forest team, since signing on loan from Manchester United in the January transfer window. 

The midfielder had previously been on the books with fellow Championship side Watford, but found regular game time hard to come by this season, which resulted in him moving to the City Ground for the remainder of the 2020/21 season.

Nottingham Forest are currently sat 18th in the second-tier standings, and will be well-aware of the teams battling for survival in the Championship below them.

The Reds are five points clear of the relegation zone, and will be hoping they can bounce back from a narrow defeat to promotion-chasing Swansea City in their last match.

We take a look at Garner's spell with Nottingham Forest so far in more detail, and take a look at what issues he faces with Chris Hughton's side, as well as what the future holds for him.

How's it gone so far? 

Garner made his debut for Nottingham Forest against Coventry City, in a 2-1 win, and has since gone on to make four appearances in total for the Reds, as they battle to avoid relegation into League One this season.

He is yet to miss a single minute of action since signing on loan for the club, and will be hoping he can continue to impress in Chris Hughton's side.

Garner tasted defeat for the first time as a Nottingham Forest player in midweek, as they slipped to a 1-0 defeat against Swansea City at the Liberty Stadium.

What issues does he face? 

One of the issues that Garner might be faced with in the future is competition for his starting spot in the Nottingham Forest team.

The midfielder has already made four starts in their league campaign so far, but it wouldn't come as a surprise to see Chris Hughton looking to rotate between his midfielder options to keep players fresh ahead of the final 16 matches of this year's campaign.

The likes of Jack Colback could be given an opportunity to impress, and if they can do that, then Garner will have much-needed competition for his place in the starting XI.

But if the Manchester United loanee can build on his strong start to life at the City Ground, then competition for places shouldn't be too much of an issue for the 19-year-old.

 

 

What's next for Garner? 

For now, Garner will be focused on performing to the highest possible standard with Nottingham Forest, as they look to pick up points in the Championship.

The midfielder is likely to be involved for Chris Hughton's side when they return to action this weekend, when they take on play-off chasing Blackburn Rovers at the City Ground, in what is likely to be a tricky test for the Reds up against Tony Mowbray's side.

If Garner can continue to build on some strong performances so far for Nottingham Forest, then it wouldn't come as a surprise to see him challenging for a spot in the Manchester United first-team ahead of the 2021/22 season.

Ole Gunnar Solskjær's side are currently sat second in the Premier League, and you would imagine that the Manchester United boss will have been impressed with what he's seen from Garner so far in his loan spell away from Old Trafford.