Watford must rue short-sighted view Xisco took on Man United transfer | OneFootball

Watford had a star on their hands in their 2020/22 promotion from the Championship, but manager Xisco Munoz failed to keep hold of him.

When Watford allowed James Garner to leave Vicarage Road midway through the 2020/21 season, few expected the decision to backfire as it did.

The young Manchester United midfielder joined the Hornets on loan in September 2020, and while his early performances were inconsistent, there were clear signs of his potential.

Vladmir Ivic was the manager who brought him in, and when he was dismissed in December 2020, it felt like the writing was on the wall for the midfielder.

Instead of showing patience, Watford, under new manager Xisco Munoz, they cut the deal short in January.

Nottingham Forest loan helped James Garner develop

Garner went on to join Nottingham Forest on loan and quickly established himself as a key player. In hindsight, it’s a decision the Hornets must regret, despite the fact that they won automatic promotion under Xisco.

Still only 19, he had struggled to hold down a regular spot at Vicarage Road. His performances weren’t poor, but perhaps not quite enough for a team pushing for promotion.

The call to end the loan early felt like a short-term solution, something that Watford are notorious for, usually with managers.

What makes the decision look worse is what Garner did next.

At Nottingham Forest, he became a mainstay in the midfield and his performances there showed what patience might have brought Watford had they stuck with him.

Forest trusted him enough from his stellar second half of the season to bring him back on loan for the duration of the 2021/22 season. He helped Forest achieve their first promotion back to the Premier League in over two decades after they beat Huddersfield Town in the play-off final.

An indictment of Watford's issues

Watford did earn promotion that year. But the way they handled Garner’s development raises broader questions about their approach to young talent. The club has often been seen as a revolving door of managers and short-term fixes.

In this case, the quick judgment on Garner deprived them of a player who might have contributed more had he been given a run of games in a system that suited him. Ironically, Garner's profile, technically sound, hard-working, and tactically intelligent, was exactly what Watford could have used in the Premier League the following season.

Xisco’s decision wasn’t necessarily reckless, but it was reactive. And that’s a problem that has dogged the club in recent years.

By the end of his first loan spell at Forest, he looked like one of the most promising midfielders in the division.

Following the loan to the City Ground, he spent the next season there on loan in the Premier League before joining Everton (see picture above) in a £15 million deal. He has established himself as a regular fixture in the Premier League squad at Goodison Park, with his loan at Forest - and not Watford - what is seen as key to setting him on that particular path.

As Watford continue to circle mid-table in the Championship, whilst Garner and Forest embrace Premier League football regularly, it's worth thinking about what might have been if it had been the Hornets that took their one-time Man United loanee to the top-flight with them.