Manchester United boss Ralf Rangnick outlines James Garner plan after Nottingham Forest form

Manchester United’s interim manager Ralf Rangnick plans to analyse the impressive performances of Nottingham Forest loan midfielder James Garner in the coming fortnight.

Rangnick is in charge at United at the moment, overseeing a 1-0 defeat to Everton on Saturday as their poor form continued. But from next season he will take on a consultancy role at Old Trafford that could see him aid the incoming manager, as well as the club’s recruitment team.

Having a handle on the performances of the United’s loanees will be a key part of the job, and Rangnick has said he plans to take a closer look at Garner’s displays for Forest soon. He has heard good things, suggesting the 21-year-old could be someone he recommends for a place in the United squad for next season.

Rangnick told Manchester United’s official website: “To be honest I haven’t seen that many games of Nottingham Forest but I will probably do that in the next couple of weeks with my staff and the analysis team.

“I’ve heard he’s scored four goals and had four assists there, but my focus, as you can imagine, has been on the current team in the last weeks and months. This is certainly good if players get gametime somewhere and do well, and this is the idea behind a loan period.”

Reports this week said United had ‘earmarked’ Garner for a spot in the squad next season, but that the new manager would have the final say, with Ajax’s Erik ten Hag increasingly likely to take over.

Former manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who left his role at Old Trafford in the autumn, had previously said that Garner could go on to become the Red Devils’ next Michael Carrick.