Manchester United youngster 'can make the step up' should Frenkie de Jong transfer fall through

Manchester United youngster James Garner has been backed by a former Premier League player to make the step up to the first team should the Reds fail in their pursuit of Frenkie de Jong.

United agreed terms with Barcelona for the transfer of De Jong more than two weeks ago but appear have got no closer to signing the Dutch midfielder in recent days. The transfer saga has rumbled on for months and with Erik ten Hag's former Ajax player spotted in pre-season training with Barcelona, it might be time for United to turn their attention elsewhere.

Former Newcastle United and Crystal Palace midfielder Darren Ambrose has said that the club need to look no further than their own squad for an alternative to signing De Jong, as he thinks the 21-year-old academy graduate is ready to slot straight into United's midfield.

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Ambrose told TalkSport: “I’m 50/50 whether De Jong will end up being a Man United player. But Garner, I think he can make the step up.

“You look at when a manager comes into a football club, one of the first things they want to do is prove they can improve the players.

“He [Ten Hag] did that at Ajax. And I think he’ll be looking at a player like Garner and thinking, ‘I can prove that I can build a player into a Man United squad'. It’s happened before with young players at Man United. I think Garner is a fantastic player.

“I’m not comparing him to De Jong, but there’s potential that he could grow into that position and play a similar role.”

Garner impressed last season when he was sent out on loan to Nottingham Forest, making 41 league appearances in a campaign that saw Forest achieve promotion back to the Premier