Nicky Butt believes can see Manchester United bringing James Garner back to Old Trafford after his impressive performances at Everton.
Garner got here through the United academy and had loans at Watford and Nottingham Forest before leaving the club to hitch Everton for £15million in 2022.
The versatile midfielder has grown to develop into a significant figure in David Moyes’s side this season, registering eight goal contributions to assist in giving the Toffees an outdoor shot of qualifying for Europe.
Garner’s impressive performances at club level also saw him rewarded with a primary England call-up last month, with the 25-year-old featuring in each matches against Uruguay and Japan.
United have made improving their midfield a key priority in the summertime transfer window after confirmation that Casemiro will leave the club at the top of the season.
And while Butt thinks a return this summer is unlikely, the previous Red Devils midfielder insists that he wouldn’t be surprised if Garner ended up back at Old Trafford within the not-so-distant future.
‘I don’t see why he couldn’t be back at United,’ Butt told Paddy Power. ‘He’s performing well, he’s playing for a giant club with a giant expectation with their crowd.
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‘Obviously they’re not expected to go and win the Premier League but they’re expected to win and so they’ve got passionate support.
‘So he plays under pressure every week, he knows Man United and yeah, he’s doing amazingly well now.
‘He’s got to do it again next season, it’s a bit soon to go and pay big money for him now, but I’m confident he can go and do it.’
Butt, who helped oversee Garner’s development during his time answerable for United’s academy, added: ‘On the time Jimmy wasn’t at the extent to burst into United and play usually. It wasn’t working so quite rightly he moved on and kick-started his profession.
‘Jimmy is a bit just like the player I used to be. Not essentially the most talented but his drive and desire to get to the highest is up there with anybody I’ve seen.’
Garner’s performances for England now see him in contention for a spot in Thomas Tuchel’s 26-man World Cup squad, and Butt is confident that the Everton star can be with the Three Lions in North America this summer
‘Jimmy Garner has done himself an enormous, massive favour playing how he played,’ he added. ‘He’s been phenomenal this season. He’s got all of it, he can go through the lines, he can defend, he can tackle, he can sprint.
‘He’s like a poorer man’s version of Gerrard. Not pretty much as good as Gerrard, but he’s in that mould, he can do all the pieces as a contemporary day midfielder.
‘He will certainly be going [to the World Cup] after that, he’s got his ticket on the plane.’
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