James Garner has revealed how Michael Carrick has helped him thrive at Nottingham Forest thanks to help from one-to-one mentoring sessions with the former England midfielder.
Garner has been a huge hit at the City Ground following his arrival from Old Trafford in January and has won rave reviews for his performances under Chris Hughton.
The 20-year-old, who spent the first half of the season on loan at Watford, has been dubbed Carrick v2.0 by United fans and the influence on his career has been clear.
And Garner told the Red Devils' website how Carrick has been key to his development.
"There was something that definitely re-jogged my mind a week or so ago,” Garner said.
“I was speaking to one of my mates, Angel [Gomes], and talking about the things I used to do with Michael; the little tips he used to give me.
“You know, most of it sounds so basic but some of the basic things are hardest to do.
"If things are playing on your mind, it will help you with a split second more [time], so it's definitely something that has helped me and will continue to help me.”
"Buying yourself that extra split second. Always looking forward, always thinking forward, always having a picture in your head before you receive the ball. Things like this.
“It's just having the idea and he said to me if you're thinking about doing that before the game, it will just naturally come when the ball does come. You're already thinking what you are going to do.
“It's something that definitely helped me, like I said, and I hope it continues to help me.”
