It was not so long ago that Leicester City felt a little like Manchester United’s B team.
City provided a home for the players that could not make the grade at Old Trafford, with Danny Drinkwater, Ritchie De Laet, Matty James, and Tom Lawrence all signed in a short period. Given the success of the first three transfers, it was a fruitful partnership the club had built.
Since then, City have risen the ranks and are now an occasional challenger to United in the top half of the Premier League table. Over the past three seasons, City have finished four, eight, and six points behind the Red Devils.
Battling in the same area of the table, it feels like City have outgrown the point where they could take United’s cast-offs and improve. But it’s not quite that simple.
City have been linked with a move for United midfielder James Garner this weekend following an impressive 18-month spell with Nottingham Forest. It culminated in the 21-year-old setting up the winning goal in the play-off final at Wembley on Sunday.
The talk in Manchester is that Garner will be given a chance in pre-season to prove to new manager Erik ten Hag he is worth a place in their first-team squad. But the reports say that if he cannot do that, then City will be keen to take him.
When there is such little difference between the clubs in terms of points gained over recent seasons, it feels like it should not be a move City look at. If United deem Garner is not quite good enough for them, these days that should mean he is not quite good enough for City either, right?
But, importantly, it’s not always the case that players United let go are not good enough. It’s that they do not have the patience to wait for them to succeed.
At Old Trafford, there is an
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