Manchester United: This player could easily outshine Jude Bellingham
Even amongst the strange and surreal times we are in, there is one constant in the football world that continues to provide entertainment for particularly Manchester United fans around the globe, transfer rumours.
One transfer rumour that has been circulating for several months now, is that Manchester United are looking to bring in teenage sensation Jude Bellingham to Old Trafford in order to bolster their midfield stocks. Apparently, the deal is so close to completion that Bellingham has visited Manchester United’s Carrington training ground.
Yet, in that training ground at the very same time Bellingham was visiting, was a player that could fill the box-box role that Bellingham is touted to play, should he sign for United. James Garner is the player we’re talking about.
He possesses the same technical abilities that has people raving about Bellingham, is good on the ball and has been compared to Michael Carrick. Which for United fans who’ve missed the former United midfielder’s composed displays in the midfield area, know that’s no small compliment.
Whilst Garner lacks the experience that Bellingham astoundingly at the age of 16 has gained and thus might lack the physicality that Bellingham has, Garner has two advantages over Bellingham.
First and foremost, Garner is a born and bred Red Devil having first joined the Man United youth academy at Under-8 level; he knows how the club operates and more importantly he knows the amount of scrutiny, a Man United player faces.
Bellingham for all he’s done hasn’t faced a single ounce of that pressure; a good example would be Memphis Depay who was all the rage back at PSV but wilted under the pressure that he faced during his ill-fated spell at Old Trafford.
Secondly, Jude Bellingham may cost Manchester United £30m, which is an exorbitant amount of money even for a 16-year old performing at a high standard in the Championship, one of the most physically demanding leagues in the world. Garner on the other hand literally costs nothing and could just as well perform the job to a similar standard to Bellingham.
However, this doesn’t mean United shouldn’t pursue a deal for Bellingham, it merely means that this deal shouldn’t be their top priority, that honour should be reserved for Jadon Sancho.
