James Garner (footballer, born 2001)

For other people named James Garner, see James Garner (disambiguation).

James Garner

Garner playing for Manchester United U18s in 2017
Personal information
Full name	James David Garner [1]
Date of birth	(2001-03-13) 13 March 2001 (age 23) [2]
Place of birth	Birkenhead, Merseyside, England [3]
Height	1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) [2]
Position(s)	Central midfielder
Team information
Current team	Everton
Number	37
Youth career
2009–2018	Manchester United
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2018–2022	Manchester United	2	(0)
2020–2021	→ Watford (loan)	20	(0)
2021	→ Nottingham Forest (loan)	20	(4)
2021–2022	→ Nottingham Forest (loan)	41	(4)
2022–	Everton	57	(1)
International career
2018	England U17	7	(0)
2018–2019	England U18	7	(0)
2019	England U19	5	(3)
2020	England U20	1	(0)
2021–2023	England U21	18	(0)
Medal record Representing   England UEFA European Under-21 Championship Winner 2023 Georgia–Romania
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 18:52, 5 October 2024 (UTC)

James David Garner (born 13 March 2001) is an English professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Premier League club Everton.

Born in Birkenhead, Garner joined Manchester United's youth system at under-8 level. He made his first-team debut at the age of 17, in a Premier League game against Crystal Palace in February 2019. He spent time on loan at Watford and Nottingham Forest. In the 2021–22 season, he helped Forest gain promotion to the Premier League by winning the play-offs. Garner made seven first-team appearances for United in total, before joining Everton in September 2022.

Garner made more than 30 appearances for England's youth national teams, from under-17 to under-21 level. He made his debut for the under-21 team in September 2021, and was part of the squad that won the 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.

Club career

Manchester United

Youth career

Garner was born in Birkenhead in Merseyside. He joined the Manchester United Academy at under-8 level. ^[3] He initially played as a centre-back till the age of 15, before transitioning into midfield. ^[4] Garner made his first appearances for the Manchester United Under-18s at the end of the 2016–17 season, appearing as a substitute in games against Arsenal and Blackburn Rovers. He signed as an academy scholar in July 2017 and was a regular for the Under-18s in 2017–18, scoring four goals in 24 appearances in all competitions as Manchester United won the Premier League North title; however, he missed the final of the competition against Chelsea as he was on international duty. He also made eight appearances for the Manchester United Under-19s as they made it to the round of 16 of the 2017–18 UEFA Youth League before being eliminated by local rivals Liverpool.

2018–19 season

Garner first became involved with the Manchester United first team on the club's summer 2018 tour of the United States, starting in the match against San Jose Earthquakes on 22 July, before being replaced by Scott McTominay at half-time. He also made substitute appearances against Real Madrid on 1 August and Bayern Munich on 5 August. With Manchester United's qualification from their 2018–19 UEFA Champions League group secure, Garner was named on the bench for their final group game against Valencia on 12 December, but was not used in the match. ^[3] He was named as a substitute for Manchester United's 2018–19 FA Cup Third Round tie against Reading on 5 January 2019, but, again, was not brought on.

On 27 February 2019, he made his first-team debut at the age of 17, coming on as a 90th-minute substitute for Fred in a 3–1 league win away to Crystal Palace. ^[5] On 15 March, Garner signed a contract extension, keeping him at United until June 2022 with an option for a further year. ^[6]

2019–20 season

Garner again went on the first team's summer tour in 2019, along with fellow academy players Angel Gomes, Tahith Chong and Mason Greenwood. ^[7] He came on as a substitute in the 83rd minute of the first pre-season game against Perth Glory, and scored his first senior goal with his first touch within two minutes, a low drive into the bottom right corner from outside the box. ^[8]

On 24 October 2019, he made his European debut for Manchester United against Partizan in the Europa League. ^[9]

Loans

Garner signed a season-long loan deal with EFL Championship team Watford in September 2020. ^[10] Garner fell out of first-team contention after the appointment of Xisco Muñoz as Watford head coach, and on 30 January 2021, his loan was terminated. ^[11] On the same day he joined fellow Championship side Nottingham Forest on loan for the remainder of the season. ^{[12] [13]} He scored his first goal for the club on 26 February 2021 in a 1–1 draw against arch-rivals Derby County in a league meeting at Pride Park. ^[14] Following the conclusion of the season, he returned to Manchester United for pre-season training but rejoined Forest for a season-long loan after extending his contract with Manchester United. ^[15] Garner helped Nottingham Forest gain promotion to the Premier League for the 2022–23 season, playing in their win in the Championship play-off final at Wembley Stadium in May 2022. ^[16]

Everton

On 1 September 2022, Garner signed for Everton on a four-year deal, ^[17] a decision which caused substantial backlash from Manchester United fans. ^[18] The fee was reported to be of £9 million, with add-ons that could increase the fee to £15 million. ^[19]

Garner made his debut for Everton as a substitute in a 2–1 loss at home to Manchester United on 9 October 2022. ^[20]

On 27 September 2023, Garner scored his first goal for Everton in a 2–1 win away at Aston Villa in the third round of the EFL Cup. ^[21] On 7 October, he scored his first Premier League goal in a 3–0 defeat of Bournemouth at Goodison Park. ^[22]

International career

Garner was a youth international and represented England at under-17, under-18, under-19, under-20 and under-21 levels. ^[23] Garner captained the under-17 side that reached the semi-finals of the 2018 UEFA European Under-17 Championship. ^[24] On 13 October 2020, Garner made his debut for the under-20 team during a 2–0 victory over Wales at St. George's Park. ^[25]

On 27 August 2021, Garner received his first call up at under-21 level. ^[26] On 7 September 2021, he made his under-21 debut during the 2–0 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification win over Kosovo at Stadium MK. ^[27]

On 14 June 2023, Garner was included in the England squad for the 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship; ^[28] a tournament the Young Lions ultimately went on to win. ^[29]

Career statistics

As of match played 5 October 2024

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			FA Cup		EFL Cup		Europe		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Manchester United U21	2019–20 [30]	—			—		—		—		2 [lower-alpha 1]	1	2	1
	2020–21 [31]	—			—		—		—		1 [lower-alpha 1]	0	1	0
	Total		—		—		—		—		3	1	3	1
Manchester United	2018–19 [32]	Premier League	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	—		1	0
	2019–20 [30]	Premier League	1	0	0	0	1	0	4 [lower-alpha 2]	0	—		6	0
	Total		2	0	0	0	1	0	4	0	—		7	0
Watford (loan)	2020–21 [31]	Championship	20	0	0	0	1	0	—		—		21	0
Nottingham Forest (loan)	2020–21 [31]	Championship	20	4	0	0	0	0	—		—		20	4
	2021–22 [33]	Championship	41	4	4	0	1	0	—		3 [lower-alpha 3]	0	49	4
	Total		61	8	4	0	1	0	—		3	0	69	8
Everton	2022–23 [34]	Premier League	16	0	0	0	1	0	—		—		17	0
	2023–24 [35]	Premier League	37	1	3	0	4	1	—		—		44	2
	2024–25 [35]	Premier League	4	0	0	0	1	0	—		—		5	0
	Total		57	1	3	0	6	1	—		—		66	2
Career total			140	9	7	0	9	1	4	0	6	1	166	11

1. Appearance(s) in EFL Trophy
2. Appearances in UEFA Europa League
3. Appearances in Championship play-offs

Honours

Nottingham Forest

• EFL Championship play-offs: 2022

England U21

• UEFA European Under-21 Championship: 2023 ^[36]

Individual

• Denzil Haroun Reserve Player of the Year: 2019–20 ^[37]
• UEFA European Under-21 Championship Team of the Tournament: 2023 ^[38]

References

1. "2018/19 Premier League squads confirmed". premierleague.com. Premier League. 3 September 2018. Archived from the original on 2 February 2019. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
2. "James Garner: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
3. Chandy, Alex (27 February 2019). "Who is James Garner? Man Utd youngster profiled after being called up to first-team". Daily Mirror . Archived from the original on 27 February 2019. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
4. Leventhal, Adam; Whitwell, Laurie (21 September 2020). "Where does James Garner fit into Watford's crowded midfield?". The Athletic. Retrieved 21 September 2020.(subscription required)
5. Hafez, Shamoon (27 February 2019). "Crystal Palace 1–3 Manchester United". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 28 February 2019. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
6. Marshall, Adam (15 March 2019). "Garner signs new deal with United". ManUtd.com. Manchester United. Archived from the original on 3 April 2019. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
7. Froggatt, Mark (7 July 2019). "Confirmed: Ole's travelling squad for Tour 2019". ManUtd.com. Manchester United. Retrieved 13 July 2019.
8. Froggatt, Mark (13 July 2019). "Rashford and Garner score as United beat Perth Glory". ManUtd.com. Manchester United. Retrieved 13 July 2019.
9. Sutcliffe, Steve (24 October 2019). "Partizan Belgrade 0-1 Man Utd: Anthony Martial penalty ends winless away run". bbc.com. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
10. Marshall, Adam (18 September 2020). "Loan move sealed for Garner". ManUtd.com. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
11. "Manchester United midfielder James Garner set for new loan after Watford deal terminated". manchestereveningnews.com. 30 January 2021. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
12. "James Garner: Manchester United youngster joins Nottingham Forest on loan". BBC Sport. 30 January 2021. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
13. "Garner becomes a Red". Nottingham Forest FC. 30 January 2021. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
14. "Derby 1-1 Nottingham Forest". BBC. 26 February 2021. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
15. "Garner signs new deal and returns to Forest". ManUtd.com. 22 August 2021. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
16. "Huddersfield Town 0–1 Nottingham Forest". BBC Sport. 29 May 2022. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
17. "Garner signs for Everton". Everton FC. 1 September 2022. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
18. Hobkinson, Matthew (31 August 2022). "'Absolute disgrace' - Man Utd fans fume as club accepts Everton's Garner bid". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
19. "James Garner: Everton sign midfielder from Man Utd in £15m deal". Sky Sports. 1 September 2022. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
20. "EVERTON 1-2 MANCHESTER UNITED: CRISTIANO RONALDO HITS LANDMARK 700TH CLUB GOAL AS RED DEVILS DOWN TOFFEES". Eurosport. Retrieved 8 October 2023.
21. "Aston Villa 1-2 Everton: James Garner and Dominic Calvert-Lewin goals see Toffees into Carabao Cup fourth round". Sky Sports. Retrieved 8 October 2023.
22. "Everton 3-0 Bournemouth: Sean Dyche's side claim first home Premier League win of the season". Sky Sports. 7 October 2023.
23. "James Garner's matches". besoccer.com. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
24. Marsh, Charlotte (27 February 2019). "Who are Man Utd's first team teens?". Sky Sports. Archived from the original on 28 February 2019. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
25. Veevers, Nicholas (13 October 2020). "Two quickfire goals in the first half seal win for Lee Carsley's young Lions at SGP". The Football Association. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
26. Veevers, Nicholas (27 August 2021). "Carsley names first MU21s squad". The Football Association. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
27. "Palmer scores stunning debut goal in England MU21s 2–0 win over Kosovo". The Football Association. 7 September 2021. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
28. "England MU21s squad named for EURO Finals". EnglandFootball.com. 14 June 2023. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
29. "England win U21 EURO title after 1-0 win over Spain". EnglandFootball.com. 9 July 2023. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
30. "Games played by James Garner in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
31. "Games played by James Garner in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
32. "Games played by James Garner in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
33. "Games played by James Garner in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
34. "Games played by James Garner in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
35. "Games played by James Garner in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
36. Howell, Alex (8 July 2023). "England beat Spain to win Euro U21 Championship". BBC Sport. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
37. "Garner Earns Historic Denzil Haroun Trophy". manutd.com. Manchester United. 17 September 2020. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
38. "2023 Under-21 EURO Team of the Tournament". UEFA.com. 11 July 2023. Retrieved 17 July 2023.

External links

• Profile at the Everton F.C. website
• James Garner – UEFA competition record ( archive )