Liam Manning planning Neil Harris conversation after Josh Stokes' loan away from Bristol City | Bristol Live

Bristol City loanee Josh Stokes was named Cambridge United's Player of the Season and Young Player of the Season during his spell with the U's

Liam Manning admits he is planning to speak to Cambridge United boss Neil Harris "soon" to discuss Josh Stokes after the Bristol City midfielder spent the season on loan away from Ashton Gate, impressing with the U's in League One.

Stokes, who joined the Robins on a permanent deal from Aldershot Town in January 2024, spent pre-season with Manning's side before being named in the matchday squad for the season opener against Hull City and featuring off the bench in the Carabao Cup defeat to Coventry City.

However, the arrival of both George Earthy and Scott Twine in the days following that defeat to the Sky Blues meant the 21-year-old was pushed down the pecking order in BS3 and the decision was taken to allow him to spend the season on loan with Cambridge to aid his short-term development.

While injury meant Stokes had a slow start to his time with the U's, he proved to be the shining light in what was a difficult season at the Cledara Abbey Stadium. Though Harris' side finished 23rd in League Two and will subsequently be playing League Two football next term, the attacking midfielder scored eight goals and picked up four assists in all competitions to win both Cambridge's Player and Young Player of the Season awards.

The 21-year-old's displays this term have left Harris with no doubts he can make the step up to Championship level, and Manning has similarly been impressed with what he has seen from the midfielder, not just this season but over the last few years.

"Two years ago, he was playing non-league football at step seven or eight," the Reds head coach told Bristol Live at the High Performance Centre. "Last season, to do what he did at Aldershot at the age he was and the return he had, to then go and jump two levels to League One and, in a struggling team and still perform to a good level.

"Someone like Neil Harris with the record he's got and the level he's worked at, he knows what it takes at this level. He's someone I'll speak to soon. Josh should take a huge amount of confidence from that.

"I think he's probably too hard on himself at times, Josh. I think he needs to step back sometimes and see the bigger picture and the progress he's made, but at the same point, those demands that he places on himself will allow him to improve as well."

Throughout much of the second half of the campaign, Manning's options in several positions were stretched as a result of injuries and decisions taken in the January transfer window. However, the City head coach has always had plenty of players to pick from in attacking midfield where all of Max Bird, Earthy, Twine, Anis Mehmeti and Yu Hirakawa have been vying for a starting role.

On paper, Stokes will provide further competition in that position while other returning loanees such as Rob Atkinson, Fally Mayulu, Jamie Knight-Lebel and Seb Palmer-Houlden may also provide further strength in depth in other areas of the pitch. Though that is something Manning and the Reds have lacked over the last few months, he feels City will have to be careful when shaping their squad for next season.

"You have to get that right," the Reds boss said when asked if it was a good headache to have multiple players returning from loan in one summer. "When you average it out this season, on average, you have 5.6 players unavailable per game, roughly.

"That fluctuates, but you know you're going to have people missing, so I think you have to take that into account when you build a squad. That looks different at different stages of the season. Games are very heavy at the front half of the season versus once you kind of get through January, it's not as heavy at the back end.

"So I think you have to be smart with how you plan the squad, how you build the squad and what decisions you make on that front."