Alan Hardy: 'Notts County happy to re-sign Jorge Grant on loan if he needs first-team football'

Alan Hardy has claimed that Notts County will be on standby to possibly re-sign Jorge Grant on loan should he fail to cement a first-team place at Nottingham Forest.

The 22-year-old was on the fringes of the Reds first team in the previous campaign but, when taken on by Kevin Nolan midway through the season, had a huge impact.

Grant made 17 appearances and scored six goals from midfield to give the Magpies a huge shot in the arm and ended up surviving relegation from League Two with several games to spare.

As a reward, he was offered a new three-year contract at the City Ground, which he signed, but Hardy wrote in his weekly Nottingham Post column that Notts would be in pole position to take him on temporarily once again.

He wrote: "Obviously we had been hoping to sign him permanently because he's such a fantastic talent, but as soon as Forest put that deal on the table, I knew he was going to sign it.

"If I was in his position, I would have done exactly the same because, let's face it, how many three-year contracts get handed out these days?

"They are incredibly rare and at 22, Jorge is at that age where he needs to be settled and allowed to purely concentrate on his football.

"From what I understand, Mark Warburton, the Forest manager, has told all the players it is a clean slate, which obviously puts Jorge in an exciting position.

"He will now go away hoping to force his way into the first team, and I hope he is afforded the chance to prove himself over the course of pre-season.

"With the new owner in place and the manager, Warburton, having his first full transfer window to make new signings, that could mean Jorge is pushed down the pecking order.

"If that proves to be the case and there is a chance that he will go out on loan again, then we will be the first in the queue.

"I would absolutely love to have Jorge back at Notts if the chance arises again, but you can't begrudge him a shot of trying to get into Forest's first team.

"But there's absolutely no doubt in my mind that his performances for us at Notts were pivotal in Forest's decision to award him a new contract.

"If he had just been sitting on the bench and had not signed for us, the likelihood of him earning a three-year deal would have been extremely remote.

"I know Jorge thoroughly enjoyed his time here with us. The supporters loved him and he was a credit to himself during the few months he was here.

"He is a lovely lad who can sprinkle stardust on a game so it's a situation we will be constantly monitoring as we look to make new signings."

To read the rest of Alan Hardy's Nottingham Post column this week, click here.

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