Nottingham Forest handed blow by Southampton development in race for Man United deal

Nottingham Forest will no doubt be hoping that they can keep James Garner amongst their ranks again next season, regardless of whether they go up to the Premier League or not this weekend.

However, they may face competition to sign the player from Southampton, with The Athletic reporting that the Saints are ready to pounce if Erik Ten Haag decides he doesn’t want to use the midfielder yet.

That would be bad news for Forest if they do decide to make a bid for his services, as it means that this game at the weekend could carry even more weight now. If there are other Premier League suitors interested in Garner, then it means they will most certainly need a promotion if they want to tempt the player back to the City Ground.

If they fail to get a result against Huddersfield and end up staying in the second tier, then it could mean Garner considers his options elsewhere, especially if regular top flight football becomes available to him.

Forest though will not want to see the back of him. He’s been a mainstay in their first team this year, as they have stormed into the top six and towards Championship promotion under Steve Cooper.

With 41 league outings to his name, he has been one of their most relied upon players and has continually impressed. With four goals and eight assists, he has been pivotal to their success and another barnstorming performance from him this weekend could help in their promotion bid.

Other teams though are now taking note of his talent – and it means there could be a tug-of-war for his signature this summer.

The Verdict

Garner is a real talent and his time at Forest has really brought out the best in him.

The midfielder has been allowed to flourish at the City Ground and has become more and more of a