"You can’t underestimate the quality" - Martin Keown believes Manchester United should recall 'really creative' loanee quickly

Manchester United interim boss Ralf Rangnick; [inset] Martin Keown.

Former Arsenal footballer Martin Keown believes Manchester United should recall midfielder James Garner, who is currently on loan at Nottingham Forest.

Garner played a starring role in Forest's surprising 4-1 thrashing of Leicester City yesterday (February 6) in the FA Cup. This is the second time the EFL Championship outfit has eliminated a Premier League team in this season's competition. They knocked out Arsenal in the previous round.

Garner assisted Joe Worrall in the 32nd minute to put Forest 3-0 ahead. Kelechi Iheanacho pulled a goal back for Leicester eight minutes later but Djed Spence scored in the second half to put the fourth-round contest to bed. Garner was also heavily involved in Nottingham's first goal scored by Philip Zinckernagel.

🗞 Match report: Forest 4-1 Leicester City

🌳🔴 #NFFC

Keown, who was on commentary duty for BBC Sport during the match, said (as quoted by Metro):

"Again, set-piece, the ball in from Garner is an absolute beauty, look at the whip on that. You can’t underestimate the quality that Garner is putting into this box. He’s on loan from Manchester United – they need to be thinking about getting him back there quickly!"

Leicester struggled to deal with Garner's set-pieces throughout the match, with his assist for Worrall also coming from a corner. This is in blatant contrast to Manchester United, who are yet to score from a set-piece this season in the Premier League.

"I like the way he's developing" - Martin Keown on on-loan Manchester United midfielder James Garner

Keown also believes Manchester United fans will be excited to see the way Garner played against Leicester, adding:

"I like the way he’s developing, growing as a player. Second year here on loan, you can see the development. He’s certainly playing with a lot more confidence right now."

James Garner’s game by numbers vs Leicester City:

100% tackles won
83% pass accuracy
7 ball recoveries
7 attempted long passes
5 successful long passes
2 successful crosses
2 chances created
1 assist

A complete midfield performance. 👏 https://t.co/2LffBMd9yq

Garner rose through the ranks at the Red Devils' famed academy, turning out for their under-18 and under-23 sides. He eventually made his first-team debut for the club in 2019, coming on for the final minute of a 3-1 Premier League victory against Crystal Palace.

The Englishman made six appearances across competitions, including four in the UEFA Europa League for Manchester United in the 2019-20 season. Garner was loaned out to Watford at the start of the 2020-21 campaign and made 20 appearances for them in the Championship.

In January 2021, he moved to Nottingham Forest on loan until the end of the season and racked up 20 more appearances in the English second tier. Garner managed to score four goals in those matches, prompting Forest to loan him in once again for the 2021-22 season.

That has proved to be a fruitful decision so far, with the 20-year-old already playing 27 times across competitions for the side this season.