James Garner feels “it all made sense” as he left Manchester United for Everton in the summer transfer window
Former Manchester United midfielder James Garner believes it was the right time for him to move to Everton in the summer of 2022. The 21-year-old sealed a permanent move to the Toffees in the recent transfer window.
The England U21 international came up through the youth ranks with the Red Devils. He enjoyed two fruitful seasons in the Championship before the Old Trafford side decided to cash in on him.
Speaking to The Times (Subscription Required) [h/t Manchester Evening News], Garner revealed it was disappointing to leave United. However, the midfielder did not want to halt his footballing development in Manchester.
“In the moment it is very disappointing. That was the club that I trained with five times a week for years and years and years, that I made my debut with.
“But I didn’t want to stagnate. I didn’t want to stay there really and when they said I could leave also, I was in agreement with that. I just think it all made sense. I had two good seasons on loan and returned to United in the summer.”
Garner had a successful spell at Nottingham Forest last season. The 21-year-old was a key player for Steve Cooper as they managed to win promotion to the English top flight after 23 years.
The England U21 international featured 49 times for the Tricky Trees in all competitions in the previous campaign, scoring four goals and providing 10 assists.
And he showed versatility for Forest. The youngster is a defensive midfielder on paper. But he was also deployed in the number eight and number 10 positions by the West Bridgford outfit.
Some fans expected to see a lot of Graner during pre-season at United. However, the midfielder hardly got a chance under Erik ten Hag during the friendlies.
The Red Devils ended up bolstering the middle of the park with the addition of Christina Eriksen and Casemiro. And the 21-year-old was seemingly deemed surplus to requirements by the club.
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Now at Everton under Frank Lampard, the youngster has the opportunity to learn from one of the Premier League’s greatest-ever midfielders. It remains to be seen whether Garner is able to fulfil his potential in the coming future.
