If you were to ask 100 Manchester United supporters where the club needs to strengthen the first-team squad most, the chances are almost every single one of them would give the same answer.

United's need to add a holding midfielder to their ranks has become more and more apparent over the last few months.

There has never been such a clamour from the supporters for one area of the squad to be strengthened.

So while Scott McTominay and Fred, to their credit, have stepped up in recent weeks, it is not a midfield combination, with respect, that United's supporters want to see in the long-term.

The area has long been identified as a major weakness in the club's efforts to bridge the gap on the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool and cross-city rivals Manchester City.

Several high-profile names have been linked with moves to Old Trafford to bolster that area of the squad, including top target Declan Rice of West Ham as well as RB Leipzig ace Amadou Haidara and Boubacar Kamara of Marseille.

While all three of those aforementioned names would surely strengthen United and address the midfield problems that they are encountering, the chances of the club signing more than one of them to strengthen their midfield options are somewhat slim — especially when Rice is valued at around the £100million mark and they want to add to other areas of the squad this summer.

If Rice did sign for United, there's little doubt he'd come permanent fixture in the side. But even so, the club do not have great depths of quality in the holding-midfield position, meaning two or maybe three signings in the role are probably required.

However, United have the luxury of strengthening that position without spending more money than they need to, thanks to the great work of the club's academy in recent years and the benefits of using the loan market.

And that is where James Garner could save United a pretty penny. The central-midfielder is currently on loan at Championship side Nottingham Forest for the second time and his performances are going from strength-to-strength, as he looks to help them in their play-offs push.

Working under the stewardship of familiar face Steve Cooper — who was in charge of the England Under-17 squad at the time of when the United midfielder was looking to climb the first few rungs on his career ladder — Garner is thriving in a competitive and highly pressurised environment.

His performance in Forest's 2-1 win over rivals Derby on Saturday, arguably, was his best to date in a Forest shirt and he has now racked up 44 appearances over his two loan spells on the banks of the Trent.

Forest supporters were in awe of his display against their troubled rivals, with one Forest match-goer on social media writing after the game: "James Garner is an absolute player, by the way. Got a huge future in the game. United have a superstar on their hands!"

Reviews like that will do Garner little harm at all in his development. The Championship has played a key role in shaping the futures of several youngsters who are now thriving or threatening to deliver the goods in the Premier League, such as Emile Smith Rowe, Reece James, Mason Mount, Conor Gallagher and Harvey Elliott — all of whom have spent time on loan in the second-tier in recent years.

Of course, as with any young player, it is important not to apply too much pressure to Garner's shoulders too soon; he is only 20 and still has a lot of learning to do. But most football supporters know a good player when they see one. In Garner, Forest's fans believe they have one.

A regular starting berth at Old Trafford next season still seems a way off for the Birkenhead-born player, but he is certainly heading along the right path to becoming a valued first-team squad player. He could have a role to play next season, which may grow and develop in time.

It is important not to expect too much too soon but Garner is a star in the making and he, in the long run, could save United a small fortune.

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