James Garner believes a full season with Nottingham Forest will continue to help him progress as a player.

The on-loan midfielder joined the Reds last January, where he made 20 league appearances for the club in 2020-21, scoring four goals. 

Garner re-joined the club over the Summer for a season long loan. He has featured in 19 Championship games so far this season and intends to fulfill his commitment to the club for the entire campaign. 

“Last season, I was moving place, moving clubs, moving locations; you’ve got to move everything and start over again, get used to a new team,” said Garner, via the Nottingham Post.

“I think it will help having a full year at one club.

“Getting used to things over and over again at different clubs can be quite tough. I was more than settled here last season as well.”

Garner, 20, has been an important player in Steve Cooper’s side. 

Forest had started the season poorly before the arrival of Cooper in September. Since then, the club has risen to ninth in the Championship table. 

Cooper’s side are only two points away from the playoff positions, with Huddersfield Town in sixth. However, the postponements around the league mean seventh and eighth placed QPR and Stoke City both have two games in hand. 

Garner has enjoyed the atmosphere at the club and has credited the players with making it an easy environment to adapt to. 

“I’m quite an easy-going person, I can get on with most people, so the first week or two when I first came, I settled in straight away,” added Garner. 

“Coming back, I already knew all the boys anyway, so that made it easy.”

The Verdict

New Manchester United interim manager Ralf Rangnick has been experimenting with the youth players at the club, with Anthony Elanga the most notable inclusion since his arrival.

However, it is still far too early to say if the German would have a role for Garner at the club this season. 

Continuing to play games at a good Championship level is the right move for his career right now.

The midfielder is still young and will have plenty of opportunities for game time at Man United if he can keep progressing at the rate he’s done so far.

Garner has the potential to be a very good Premier League level player, and being at Forest has allowed to him to show off some of that potential.

Keeping him at the club for the rest of the campaign is important for both the player's development and the club's on-pitch fortunes.