Phil SumblerJames Garner, a midfielder who had loan spells at both Watford and Nottingham Forest last season is another midfielder on the Swans radar this summer although it is believed that a Premier League loan is the more likely destination for a player of whom Man Utd have great hopes.
It was around this time last year that the Swans were linked with a move for the player but ultimately he went on loan elsewhere and we ended up with Morgan Gibbs-White (who again is another player we remain as someone we are keeping tabs on)
Garner went on-loan to Watford last summer, and while he featured regularly for the club, who were later promoted to the Premier League, Garner moved to Forest in January in the hope of being able to start more games.
While his destination may remain unknown, United are understood to be keen to loan him out for the right opportunity.
Garner is expected to feature for United in some of their pre-season friendlies, staring against Derby and someone who knows a thing or two about midfielders – Bryan Robson – is challenging him to show what he is capable of
“It’s always good to see the lads who have been out on loan,” Robson told their official website. “Then the younger players coming through get that opportunity. It’s good to see how well they can do against the opposition we’ve selected for the pre-season games.
“We’ve got a couple of Championship teams and Brentford have just been promoted so it’s always interesting to see how the young boys cope with getting in the first team and playing 90 minutes, sometimes playing with the better players.
“For James, this is it. He has had his education now and is at that age where he can really prove himself this season, whether he’s going to be at Manchester United or go out on loan again.
“He’s a very intelligent footballer and works very hard at his game. Now it is up to James to step up and prove to Ole he is worthy of a place in the squad.”
It is difficult to see there being any mileage in this link which may indeed just be speculation given our previous interest and it certainly does seem to be the case that the Premier League is their preferred destination for the player but keep an eye on this one – our reputation for giving loan players plenty of game time may yet prove to be a deciding factor
