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With Manchester United midfielder James Garner making his return to the club, Garner has revealed that he sees himself playing as either a number six or eight under Erik ten Hag.
With a minor injury keeping Garner out of action on United’s pre-season tour so far, the Manchester United midfielder has revealed where he sees himself fitting in under Ten Hag.
The midfielder who made 69 appearances for Nottingham Forest across two loan spells, was an integral part of the team’s playoff winning season.
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Picking up five goal contributions in Forest’s final 10 league games ahead of the playoffs, Garner drew heavy amounts of praise for his midfield work.
Speaking to MEN, Garner said the following on his place in the United team:
"Personally, I’m not too fussed if I play as a six or eight. Throughout the academy I played as a deeper lying six. People maybe questioned whether could I score and create but when I got to the (under) 21s I showed I could also play box to box,"
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"This season I’ve played as a six, eight and in the No 10 position. For me, I enjoy six or eight as long as I’m playing.
"In the academy, I was always a centre-back at six or seven but got moved into midfield and it went from there. I’m enjoying my time."
Playing under current Nottingham Forest manager Steve Cooper, was where Garner truly excelled.
Reflecting on a highly successful season that saw Forest go from 17th in 2020/21, to securing a 4th place finish last season, Garner admitted it would be difficult to top that season at United this year.
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"Last season was a top season for me,” Said Garner. ”I think will be tough to top a season like that unless I win the Premier League,
“The manager [Cooper] really took to me, we won a lot of games. We didn’t have the best start first in the seven games, but then the manager came in and we were on a flier."
Despite a move back to Nottingham Forest being up in the air due to the Midlands club already taking Dean Henderson on loan from United, another loan spell has not been ruled out.
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According to a recent report from The Telegraph, United are reluctant to bring Garner into the first-team squad if regular football cannot be guaranteed.
The report notes that those at United are of the belief that ensuring Garner is in a position where he is getting regular game time is the priority.
In the meantime, Garner will have an opportunity to impress in United’s remaining pre-season games.
Set to return to training on Monday after picking up the aforementioned minor injury, there is hope that the Englishman will get time on the pitch against Crystal Palace on Tuesday.
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With Garner missing the first two games of United’s pre-season tour, it has been fellow youngsters Zidane Iqbal, and Charlie Savage who have played in the midfield in both games.
Both Savage, and Iqbal have been on the receiving end of plenty of praise for their performances on the tour so far.
Featured Image Credit: Manchester UnitedTopics: Manchester United, Erik Ten Hag, Premier League, Nottingham Forest, EFL Championship, Football