Dougie Freedman has said that Nottingham Forest are doing their utmost to ensure that Aston Villa midfielder Gary Gardner returns to the club on loan this season.

Gardner scored four times in 18 appearances in a four-month loan at Forest in the second half of last season, and reports had suggested that the Championship club were looking to bring him back to the City Ground.

Freedman has now confirmed that he is keen on another move for the 23-year-old, and said that he has been in touch with Villa boss Tim Sherwood about a deal once the midfielder returns from an ankle injury.

"Gary is a player we are very fond of," Freedman told the Nottingham Post. "He was fantastic for us last season. He is maturing.

"I have a lot of respect for Tim Sherwood, we get on very well. Tim has assured me that if he does let him out on loan, we will be one of the clubs he would call up first.

"We will be one of the teams who are after Gary when he is fit. We will do our very, very best to make something happen."

Gardner has played 18 times for Villa but has not featured for the club's first team since suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury in August 2012.