Former Manchester United midfielder James Garner has opened up about the disappointing circumstances that ultimately led to his exit from Old Trafford in the summer.
Garner left United and joined Frank Lampard’s Everton in a deal that could be worth up to £15million. He penned a four-year deal with the Toffees.
The United academy graduate spent last season on loan with Nottingham Forest where he was a pivotal player in Steve Cooper’s team’s promotion campaign.
The player revealed in an interview with The Times via 90min that he knew he was not going to be a prominent player under Erik ten Hag after a frank conversation with the Dutch boss.
The arrival of Christian Eriksen and Casemiro only served to reinforce Garner’s belief that his minutes under Ten Hag would be extremely limited.
Garmer told The Times, “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.”
He added, “I know in myself I wouldn’t have played if I had stayed. I knew it was the perfect time now, at 21, to move on and try and stake my claim somewhere else and hopefully find a home, which I have now in Everton.”
The 21-year-old relayed that his motivation for not simply being a body or an extra player in training, which Ten Hag may have alluded to in their conversation, was enough to urge him to agree to a switch.
The Englishman finished off by reiterating his wish to become a mainstay at a top Premier League club.
So far Garner has been unable to force himself into Lampard’s starting XI.
He has mainly been used off the bench but he certainly possesses the ability to force his manager to have a rethink on his role in the team.
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