James Garner, a midfielder signed by Everton from Manchester United in the summer, is set to make his debut under Sean Dyche. As reports the LiverpoolEcho, despite being named as a substitute for matches against Nottingham Forest and Brentford, he was not given any playing time. Nonetheless, this marks his return to the first team after a back injury that kept him out for three months.
Dyche has been impressed by Garner’s talent since watching him during his loan spell at Nottingham Forest last season, regularly attending their matches after leaving Burnley. Garner was highly regarded at Finch Farm under Frank Lampard, but his search for match fitness and an injury sustained during the Carabao Cup tie against Bournemouth has hindered his progress at Everton.
Having earned minutes with Everton’s Under-21s, which were observed by Dyche, the 22-year-old is now poised to contribute to his team’s fight for survival. It is uncertain whether Garner’s pursuit of match sharpness, which is required by Dyche, will result in his participation in the match against Chelsea on Saturday, which is the last game before a 16-day break for the Blues. Nevertheless, he is a vital part of his manager’s plans.
When asked about Garner’s potential role in the team, Dyche stated that “he’s still learning about the Premier League. I think he has maybe eight appearances in the Premier League, so he still has a lot to learn.”
Everton boss also added: “He is a new player to it. From what I saw, and I did see him quite a bit at Forest, he’s got a good engine and running strength, he can strike a very good ball and he is calm in possession and he will cover the yards.
“Getting to that true sharpness is the next step but his knowledge of the Premier League is limited just by the fact he has played a lot in the Championship. The Premier League is different.
“But I saw a lot of him at Forest and I think he is a very good player and I think that now that he is fit again and hopefully stays fit he will continue to sharpen through the training we put on and the day-to-day work that we do.”