James Garner challenge laid out by Nottingham Forest boss ahead of Manchester United return

Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper has challenged James Garner to continue his progress ahead of what could be a big summer for him at Manchester United.

The on-loan midfielder has made a big impression during his second spell at the City Ground under Cooper. Since the turn of the year, the 21-year-old has emerged as one of Forest’s top performers and underlined his growing reputation with another assist in the 2-0 win over Birmingham on Saturday.

United have faced calls from supporters for Garner to be included in their plans for next season. With a new manager set to be appointed this summer, it remains to be seen what will be in store for him.

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Nevertheless, Garner is set for a huge end to the season with Forest well-placed to finish at least within the Championship play-offs. With seven games remaining, they are also still in the mix for automatic promotion, sitting six points behind second-placed Bournemouth and with a meeting with the Cherries still to come before the end of the campaign.

Garner will likely have a big say in whether Forest make a return to the Premier League. His form since Cooper’s arrival at the City Ground has been excellent, and the Forest boss wants to see even more from him in the remaining weeks of the season.

“He’s definitely been on an upward trajectory, probably since he got back in the team,” Cooper told NottinghamshireLive. “He came on against Reading (in November), and then he got in the team after that.

“He’s performed really, really well. I spoke to him at length the other week about that. And he did well for England Under-21s as well.

“It’s about him understanding that he’s playing