Chelsea have given Manchester United the blueprint for James Garner development at Old Trafford

James Garner has been in great form for Nottingham Forest this season and is one match away from earning promotion to the Premier League. But what is the next step for the Manchester United youngster?

The Manchester Evening News understands that Garner's performances may have given him a shot at being a part of the first team next season under Erik ten Hag. However, with the Dutchman set to hold talks with the squad about his plans moving forward, it's unclear who will feature.

Garner is a young player who needs to develop and play regular first-team football, so if he is just going to be a rotation option under Ten Hag, is that the best option for his career? And if he doesn't stay at the club, what do you United do with him? Do they loan him out again or do they look to cash in?

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If Forest do get promoted, they could be a viable option for Garner to return to on loan and there will likely be other Premier League clubs who would like to take the young midfielder on a temporary deal. However, there may also be scope for United to follow the mould of their rivals Chelsea.

Chelsea's Cobham academy develops a number of talented youngsters on a regular basis. When those players can't play a role in the first team, they are sold to raise funds for the London club to spend on the first team.

However, if Chelsea are unsure whether the player could have a part to play in the first team in the future, they often look to cash in but also add a buyback clause into the deal. This has been the case with Tammy Abraham and Tino Livramento.

With United needing to seriously upgrade the squad in a number of positions, the money that they would be