James Garner has had an impressive start on loan at Watford in the Championship.
He made his 10th league appearance for the Hornets at the weekend, his fifth start.
Garner provided his first assist of the season in Watford’s 3-2 win over Coventry City.
His cross from a corner was headed in by defender William Troost-Ekong, to tie the scores up at 2-2, before Ismaila Sarr scored the winner from the penalty spot.
Garner created three chances in total, the same as the rest of the Watford team combined.
In possession he was efficient, completing 88 per cent of his passes, while off the ball he contributed with three interceptions.
This is what Manchester United want to see. Garner is growing into his role as a regular at a very competitive level.
Garner, 19, is on loan for the whole season and has played his part in Watford’s early rise to sit second in the Championship table.
This is looking like a very good loan for him so far. The experience he is picking up at this stage of his career from possibly winning promotion could be invaluable.
A chance to grow
This is also a chance for Garner to try and define a role for himself ahead of returning to United.
He was compared to Michael Carrick early in his career, but last season for the under-23s, Garner really stood out with his ability to score regularly, netting eight goals from 10 matches.
United’s midfield is tough to break into, but if Garner comes back as a more polished player, which he should, then he has a better chance of forcing his way into the United team.
For now he just has to concentrate on the task at hand, and early on it looks like Garner is making the most of his new challenge.
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