Everton will have just the one representative for England at the World Cup after James Garner missed out.
The tournament kicks off in just under two weeks’ time now, and hopes are high that England can finally win.
But Thomas Tuchel has come under fire for the squad he has selected.
How has Thomas Tuchel taken Jordan Henderson over James Garner? 😡
Some big names have missed out, so the manager has really stuck his neck out.
Unfortunately, James Garner did end up missing out on the final squad. Reacting recently to the news, he said (via evertonfc.com): “Getting a taste of it for the first time was a dream come true for me. There have been a lot of top players who have missed out in this squad, so I’m pretty sure there are others in my position who had hoped to go. Of course, it’s any boy’s dream – but it is what it is and I’ll keep going. It’s only going to motivate me more.”
For Troy Deeney though, it was the right call.
Troy Deeney agrees with Thomas Tuchel decision on James Garner
Deeney has featured in a new TikTok video, and given his thoughts on whether certain players who missed out on the final squad should actually have been selected.
When it got round to Garner, the former striker – who had dismissed a lot of other players with a simple ‘No’ answer, said: “No… do you know, James has been good as well. But no.”
The players he said ‘yes’ to were Newcastle United’s Lewis Hall, Luke Shaw and Harry Maguire, and then only he also said yes to two midfielders after saying no to Garner; Adam Wharton and Alex Scott.
Deeney also dismissed Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.
But Garner is a player who can count himself slightly unfortunate, given how good a season he just had.
He was named both the Men’s Player and Players’ Player of the Season at Everton, and was brilliant both in and out of possession, while offering impressive versatility.
Unfortunately though, his level arguably dipped towards the end of the campaign, which can be said of several players.
But potentially, he was done no favours by David Moyes, who could have rotated a lot more to keep legs fresher. And actually, Moyes suggested himself that Everton’s form may have been a factor in Garner missing out.
Garner still played well, but he wasn’t quite showing the same high level he was in the first two-thirds of the season.
But Garner can be extremely proud of the season he had. And there is little doubt he’ll have more involvement with England after the tournament.
The timing also probably didn’t really help him, with Garner only making his England debut in March. This perhaps made it easier for Tuchel not to pick him.
But hopefully the player will use this as motivation, and Everton will benefit as a result.
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