Tottenham Hotspur 'unlikely to sign Manchester United's James Garner'

The 21-year-old has supposedly been told by Old Trafford chiefs that he is free to leave the club amid competition for places in Erik ten Hag's midfield.

Garner has made the bench for Man United's opening two Premier League games of the season, which ended in defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion and Brentford.

Fred and Scott McTominay are preferred in Ten Hag's engine room, while Donny van de Beek is seemingly ahead of Garner in the pecking order as well.

With moves for Frenkie de Jong and Adrien Rabiot still in the pipeline, Garner could now further his career elsewhere after over a decade at Old Trafford.

Tottenham have supposedly been keeping a watchful eye on Garner's development, with the England Under-21 international starring on loan at Nottingham Forest last season.

However, journalist Fabrizio Romano reports that a move to Antonio Conte's side is unlikely for Garner, who is still not short of interest from other top-flight clubs.

Romano echoes previous reports claiming that Garner has been given the green light to leave Man United this summer, and his agents are working to find him his next destination.

Everton, Leeds United and Southampton are rumoured to be keeping a close eye on the situation, with the Red Devils open to offers of around £14m for the youngster.

Garner has only made seven senior appearances for Man United since coming through their youth academy, but he was an integral part of Steve Cooper's promotion-winning Forest squad last year.

After impressing in the second half of the 2020-21 season at the City Ground, Garner returned to register four goals and 10 assists in 49 appearances for Nottingham Forest last term.

The midfielder's efforts helped the Tricky Trees return to the Premier League via the playoffs, and he also set up two goals in the FA Cup before Forest were knocked out in the quarter-finals by Liverpool.

Garner's contract at Old Trafford runs until the summer of 2024 with the option of a further year, and Tottenham are expected to trim their midfield ranks rather than add to them in the coming weeks.

Giovani Lo Celso has sealed a loan return to Villarreal, while Tanguy Ndombele is believed to have agreed to join Napoli on a temporary basis, and the Lilywhites are still working to offload Harry Winks.

Yves Bissouma, Rodrigo Bentancur, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Oliver Skipp are all competing for places in Antonio Conte's midfield, while Pape Sarr and Harvey White are also knocking on the door for first-team inclusion.