“The likes of Jimmy Garner played well. We’ve got a few English players and hopefully he (Tuchel) will keep an eye on them.”
David Moyes was full of praise for his English contingent as Everton finally won at Old Trafford despite playing over 80 minutes with ten men.
England manager Thomas Tuchel will not be surprised by the world class performance of England’s second greatest ever goalkeeper in the Everton goal. While normal goalkeepers would class this as one of their best performances it was simply another day for Pickford, who made several top class saves to keep United out.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall has an outside chance for England but competition in the more advanced midfield roles are fierce. He finds himself up against the likes of Declan Rice, Adam Wharton and Elliot Anderson for the ‘number eight’ role, while further upfield is the domain of Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Cole Palmer.
However, James Garner could and should be of interest to Tuchel as he prepares for the World Cup in the USA next year.
England’s last few squads have had a few surprises. The return of Jordan Henderson as official squad cheerleader means one central midfielder option is covered, but Tuchel has also resorted to calling up Ruben Loftus-Cheek, a player who is nowhere near the level required for international football and one who could only start on the bench in Sunday’s Milan derby.
The reason these sub-par players are being called up is because Tuchel wants an option that allows Declan Rice to play further forward in a role that better suits his skillset. This avoids the problem Gareth Southgate had where he was forced to play Rice as the deepest midfielder – a number six – and his infamous quote about failing to find a replacement for Kelvin Phillips.
James Garner would probably not start for England but he does allow for that option. At Everton he has transformed from a more advanced midfielder to more of a holding position. While not being a complete destroyer, in the past 12 months in the Premier League he has been in the top quarter of midfielders for tackles, interceptions, blocks and clearances when he has played centrally.
Where Garner stands out is that he is also in the top half for assists, shots and chances created – stats not often associated with a defensive midfielder. It is this versatility that means he can play in a passing system next to the likes of Rice and Anderson while still fulfilling important defensive duties.
The fact is England’s only other player that fits the profile is an ageing Jordan Henderson. It is the one position where there is a complete scarcity of talent outside of Garner, whose impressive improvement has come at just the right time to fill a gap for Tuchel.
Garner has another string to his bow. He has already won honours at u21 level playing as a right back for England, and he has played left back and right wing for Everton with varying degrees of success. In a major tournament backup players are more effective when they can provide that coverage for multiple positions and Garner is one of the most versatile English players around.
Trent Alexander-Arnold and Reece James are incredibly injury prone, while Kyle Walker’s England career is over. Tino Livramento will probably be in the squad but he too suffers from injury issues. Having a central midfielder who can play at right back would provide essential cover in what is becoming a problem position for England.
Garner’s superb performance at Old Trafford will have done his cause no harm. In another era he probably would not have got a look in at international level at this stage in his development but with a vast improvement in the past 12 months in a problem position for England, Tuchel would be idiotic to not call him up for the next set of friendlies.