James Garner deserves his England shot

Later this month, Thomas Tuchel will name his final England squad before the one he selects for the 2026 World Cup.

England face Uruguay and Japan in friendlies at the end of March and, while most of the squad will pick itself, there should be at least a couple of fresh faces.

This is, after all, Tuchel’s last chance to take a look at players who have been impressing since he last named a squad, back in November.

And one of those players who has surely impressed enough in the intervening months has been James Garner.

It is not an exaggeration to suggest Garner has been one of the standout midfielders in the Premier League this season. He has certainly been among the most consistent.

Garner has gone from a player that some felt could well be on the periphery this season, to one who is now one of the first names on David Moyes’s Everton team sheet. And rightly so, too.

The numbers speak for themselves.

Only James Tarkowski has played more minutes for Everton in the Premier League this season than Garner (2,610).

The former Manchester United man has registered the most touches in Everton’s squad (2,031). Next-best in that metric is Tarkowski, way back on 1,666.

Creatively, Garner has really stepped up, too. He has provided assists in each of his last two matches, and now has five for the season, a tally bettered only by Jack Grealish among Everton’s squad. 

Garner leads Everton for chances created (42), with the majority of those coming from set-pieces, while he also tops the Toffees for successful passes (1,193), pass accuracy (87.7%), and successful passes in the final third (375). His 7 goal involvements trail only Grealish (8) and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (9) among his Everton team-mates in the league in 2025-26.

Off the ball, Garner has started to hint at a future without Idrissa Gana Gueye, too.

He leads the way for interceptions (46) — in fact, his tally trails only Moises Caicedo in the Premier League. He ranks 2nd in the competition for tackles (88), behind Joao Palhinha. Garner has won possession 145 times (ranking 6th in the Premier League) and has come out on top in 133 ground duels (8th in the Premier League).

All of Garner’s quality was on show against Burnley last time out, too — he led the game for tackles (7), chances created (5), passes (72) and touches (93).

These are numbers that cannot be ignored, and it’s worth noting that Tuchel has been in attendance for several Everton games this season, including at Villa Park in January, when Garner was particularly excellent.

Plus, Garner has versatility on his side. His ability to play at right-back, and play there well, should not go overlooked, while he has also demonstrated an ability to play at left-back, and on the right of midfield.

Tuchel has plenty of attacking quality at his disposal, but Garner’s versatility and fitness could be vital in a 26-man squad throughout a long, potentially gruelling, six-week tournament in the North American summer heat.

Elliot Anderson looks set to be Tuchel’s go-to starter alongside Declan Rice at the base of England’s midfield.

While Nottingham Forest are scrapping for survival, Anderson — a year Garner’s junior — has continued to impress, and he has credit in the bank when it comes to his previous England performances, too.

But numbers-wise, Garner is stacking up well against Anderson and, in both of Everton’s games against Forest this season, it is the man in royal blue who has clearly come out on top.

Anderson has created the same amount of chances as Garner, but has attempted 4 fewer tackles and 13 fewer interceptions. He may have won a league-leading 183 ground duels, and gained possession 243 times, but he has lost it 522 times. While he is always looking to make Forest tick, Garner is also doing the same for Everton, yet has lost possession 367 times — that’s quite the difference.

Both Anderson and Garner should be in the next England squad, and the latter’s star is continuing to shine. Even as the midfield had a bit of a wobble when adjusting to the return of Gueye from the Africa Cup of Nations, Garner has consistently demonstrated that he is now the top dog in that area of the pitch.

Hopefully, he gets the chance to shine for his country.

All stats via Opta Analyst 

 

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