Thomas Tuchel has described Everton star James Garner as England’s ‘mini Valverde’ following his international debut against Uruguay.
The England boss made wholesale changes to his side on Friday night with Declan Rice and Elliot Anderson, the pair expected to begin in midfield at this summer’s World Cup, given the night off.
It opened up opportunities for the likes of Garner and James Trafford who made their first appearances for his or her country, with the Everton man battling Fede Valverde and Manuel Ugarte in midfield alongside Jordan Henderson.
Ben White scored on his England return before Valverde levelled from the spot late on.
Garner got here through Manchester United’s academy, making his debut at 17 in 2019. He made just six more appearances for the club, joining Everton for £10million where he has grown right into a first-team star.
In some ways, Garner is the type of player United might be looking out this summer as they seek to rebuild in midfield.
The 25-year-old will hope to be a part of Tuchel’s squad within the USA during that point after impressing on his international bow.
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In the very best of praise, Tuchel compared his best qualities to those of Real Madrid star Valverde – recently hailed ‘probably the most underrated footballer on the planet’ by teammate Trent Alexander-Arnold.
‘I’m very comfortable [with Garner] — he’s our mini Valverde,’ Tuchel said.
‘He’s getting there, and he played very, excellent. I used to be quite sure that he’ll play good because he has this natural confidence and he’s just very physical. He won quite a lot of balls.’
The England boss also identified where Garner can improve was overall very impressed with what he saw.
‘I believe there are some situations where he may be just a little bit more open within the body position and drive perhaps just a little bit more through midfield with just a little bit more confidence,” he said.
‘I believe within the last 10 minutes of the primary half, he was involved in some ball losses that cost us a little bit of confidence.
‘But overall I used to be very impressed with the best way he trained and the best way he behaved. The way in which he played was good.’
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