Nottingham Forest made James Garner one of their most important players in the Championship over the course of the last campaign - and they may be about to get him back to the City Ground according to a report from Football Transfers.

The midfielder played on 41 occasions for the club during his loan move last time out and had a total of four goals and eight assists along the way. His performances in the centre of the field even helped drag the side back into the Premier League.

With the side now eyeing top flight football for the first time in decades then, they will want to bring the player back. It's been unclear as to whether or not Man United would want to play him themselves next year though and Forest haven't been sure if they could land the player on another deal this summer.

However, this fresh report has revealed that he could in fact be allowed to leave Old Trafford again during the transfer window - but it might only be on another loan deal.

He's yet to really feature for Man United in league action, having only managed two Premier League outings for the Red Devils over the course of his career so far. However, his performances in the Championship and for Watford previously have caught the eye of those at Old Trafford and it looks likely now that they won't want to let him leave permanently.

However, it does appear as though he could end up shipped back out on loan again - and Forest could be the beneficiaries of that.

The Verdict

If James Garner rejoins Forest, even if just on another temporary basis for next season, then it could be the best bit of business they do all summer.

The side have had plenty of big players over the last few seasons and last campaign they had a few standout names but Garner was arguably the biggest and most important of the lot. The way in which he could control a game and dictate the play from the centre of the field was almost second to none in the division.

For them to lose him as they jump up in division would be a massive blow and would leave Steve Cooper desperately needing to find a new midfielder to fill the Garner void. If they can have him for another season though, then that would allow the manager to rest easily knowing he has the midfield locked down.

If he can make the jump up in division with ease, joining Forest and being equally as impressive, then he might not be with them again in the next campaign though.