Nottingham Forest manager Colin Calderwood was thrilled to complete the signing of Joe Garner this afternoon - even though he will not have him at his disposal for the foreseeable future.

Calderwood, a long-time admirer of the Carlisle striker, revealed: "Joe's had a really thorough medical, he is making excellent progress and we are more than happy that he will return to full fitness fairly soon.

"When we knew there was a chance of getting him I wanted to push ahead and complete the deal because we would have faced a lot of competition from a lot of clubs for a fully fit Joe Garner.

"We don't consider it a risk in any way. The boy is way ahead of schedule in his rehab and it's great for us to get the deal done and help him reach full fitness."

And the Forest boss is equally convinced about the qualities that 20 year old Garner can bring to his promoted side.

He added: "His record shows that he has an eye for a goal but he's a very strong and brave boy. He can hold the ball up very well and even at this tender age he has shown that he is a proven finisher.

"I've been aware of him for several years and we showed an interest in him at this time last year before Carlisle signed him permanently.

"But we could not offer him a regular place at that time and he's been able to gather great experience with Carlisle last season.

"Our supporters will have to be a little bit patient until he regains fitness but I think they will be very pleased when they see what he has to offer."