Manchester United teenage midfielder James Garner has penned down a new long term deal at the Old Trafford side. The midfielder, who was handed his first team debut last month against Crystal Palace, has agreed terms which will keep him at the club until 2022 with the option to extend for a further year.
Garner signed for United aged eight and after impressing in the youth team this season has pushed up to the first team and was part of the squad for the Champions League victory against Paris Saint-Germain.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer hailed the midfielder as the ‘next Michael Carrick’ after he made his debut at Selhurst Park in the Premier League.
“I believe he’s got the chance to have a great future,” Solskjaer said. “Of course keep working, he knows we believe in him.
“We’ve got great faith in him as the next Michael Carrick. I know he’s young, I know it’s not fair on kids to compare to great players like Michael was, but he’s in the same mold.”
Solskjaer then added what part of Garner’s game reminded him of Carrick.
“He can see the game, he plays simple passes, he plays through the lines, which I thought Scott McTominay today did really well,” the Norwegian replied.
“Some of the passing through the lines to Paul (Pogba) was excellent.”
The 18-year-old has also represented England at U17s and U18s level.
In other news, Manchester United can reportedly seal the transfer of Joao Felix if they meet Benfica’s demands and pay his €120million release clause. The Portuguese wonderkid has taken Europe by storm this season, looking one of the most exciting talents in the game and surely heading for a big career.
Felix already looks likely to make a big move this summer as Corriere dello Sport link him with the likes of Man Utd, Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain. However, that report claims United are eager to get this move done quickly, so could be set to fork out big money on this immensely talented 19-year-old.
There’s no doubt Felix would be an upgrade on the struggling Alexis Sanchez right now, and MUFC will be eager to ensure they get him ahead of their rivals.
United have been watching the young attacker for some time now, with Sport Witness reporting a few weeks ago on how they’d heavily scouted the player. With attacking players clearly a priority for the Red Devils this summer, it’s also recently been claimed by the Independent that Philippe Coutinho and Jadon Sancho are also among the club’s top targets.