Report claims two players have impressed Ten Hag and it might benefit Nottingham Forest

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Nottingham Forest promotion-winner James Garner will return to Manchester United training today on their pre-season training tour of Australia.

In terms of impressing Erik ten Hag, however, he could be fighting an uphill battle. The Telegraph has claimed that midfielders Charlie Savage and Zidane Iqbal have both endeared themselves to the new United boss.

Garner suffered a knock shortly after returning back to pre-season training. That meant he missed friendly outings against Liverpool and Melbourne Victory; with some younger players getting chances to impress.

Savage and Iqbal were two of them and both players operate positions in the middle of the park. Of course, all is not lost for Garner but the 21-year-old is now further down the pecking order.

Ten Hag will likely try and strengthen his midfield this summer. Frenkie De Jong is a top target and other players will likely be targeted by the Dutch manager too.

At this moment in time, it’s impossible to know what his thought process is with regard to Garner. Another loan spell does look likely but that wouldn’t be of any use to Forest.

The Reds have already taken Dean Henderson on loan from Manchester United this summer. Under Premier League regulations, Forest can’t have another player on loan from Old Trafford this season.

That means that Forest will have to agree on a fee for Garner. Whether United will want to sell, however, remains to be seen and at this stage, it seems unlikely.

Garner returns to United training but Forest will now be hopeful

It’s really positive to hear that Savage and Iqbal have impressed Ten Hag. That does at least offer Forest some hope over a possible permanent deal for Garner.

The Reds have been so fortunate to have the midfielder for the last 18 months. He helped keep the club in the Championship during 2020/21 and then was part of the promotion-winning team of last season.

Steve Cooper loves the midfielder. He tried to sign him for Swansea before he joined Forest for a second spell and he got a real tune out of him during 2021/22.

At the moment nobody knows what the future holds for Garner. These latest reports about burgeoning talent impressing on United’s pre-season tour will definitely give Forest fans a glimmer of hope.