Garner joined the Tricky Tress in last year’s January window on a loan deal and remained at the City Ground on loan into the current campaign.
The midfielder has barely missed a game for Steve Cooper’s side since re-joining in August, making over 30 appearances in the Championship and contributing three goals and four assists.
Murray is impressed by the Manchester United man’s displays, complementing him on being an all-round player, and thinks that he would be in the mix to play if still at Old Trafford.
Speaking on LFC TV’s preview show, Murray said: “James is a box-to-box midfielder, he is a bit of a throwback.
“He’s got a great delivery in the box, good passing range and he doesn’t shirk away from the other side of it, which is the defending.
“He’s a bit of a complete midfielder and I think if he was at Manchester United at the moment he might have got a sniff around the first team.”
The former Premier League star thinks that if Garner is not in the Red Devils’ first team next term, he will be on loan at a club higher up than Nottingham Forest, perhaps a Premier League team.
“I am sure that next year if he is not part of the Manchester United first team squad he will go on loan to a bigger, better team, possibly a Premier League team”, Murray added.
“It’s just about him progressing for Manchester United on loan at Nottingham Forest.”
Nottingham Forest will be hoping Garner helps them to win promotion to the Premier League this season and if they do go up then the Tricky Trees could try to keep him.
