James Garner had a grin almost as wide as the Trent as he scored his first goal of the season for Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
And boss Steve Cooper teases he is keen to see the Manchester United loanee “smile a bit more” often!
Garner has taken a while to hit top form in his second spell at the City Ground, finding himself on the bench at times as Ryan Yates and Jack Colback have held down their places in the centre of the pitch.
But with both having served suspensions recently, and Colback being called upon to play at left-back, Garner has taken his chance.
The 20-year-old has started to put in the kind of performances which made him such a big hit for the Reds in the second half of last term. And, deployed in a more advanced role, he got off the mark at the weekend as he set the hosts on their way to a 2-0 win over Peterborough United.
“At this moment in time he’s doing really, really well,” said Cooper.
“He’s been a little bit in and out of the team, and we’ve had some good, honest conversations.
“I have a good relationship with Jim and his family anyway, because of our time together with England.
“These loans can be really important for young players from Premier League clubs. We hope this one is. They can be up and down - I wouldn’t say he had a down, but he was fighting to get in the team.
“For me, in the last three games he’s been excellent.
“He came on against Reading and was really, really good. He started against Luton and West Brom, and his performances were of a high level.
“Second half on Saturday, particularly, he carried that on, so he’s in a good moment. But he’s got to stay really focused and aim to play even better next week.”
Cooper knows the midfielder well from working with him during his time in charge of England Under-17s.
“He’s a great guy,” said the Welshman. “Respectful, humble, a good laugh - even though sometimes he could smile a bit more, and I do tell him that!
“He’s a good kid, has had a good upbring and has got a good family.
“He just really wants to do well with his career, and we’ll try to help him along the way with that.”
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