Former Manchester United midfielder James Garner has opened up on the final conversation he had with manager Erik ten Hag before he decided to join Everton last summer.
Garner, who came through the ranks at United and was tipped for a bright future at Old Trafford, spent two seasons on loan at various clubs, including Nottingham Forest, where he helped them secure promotion to the Premier League in 2021/2022.
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However, when he returned to United, he found himself out of favour under ten Hag, who had replaced Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as the permanent boss in 2022.
The Dutchman, who has been praised for his tactical acumen and strict discipline, did not see Garner as part of his plans and told him so in a frank discussion.
Garner, who joined Everton for an initial fee of £9million, revealed that ten Hag was very honest with him and did not give him any false hopes.
He told BBC Sport: “When I came back to United, I felt like I had a good enough season to have a shot. But unfortunately I got injured on the first day and it set me back two or three weeks, so the manager did not get to see me in training and games.
“It was a decision where – after having two seasons in men’s football – I wanted to be part of a team and squad, ideally starting too. I knew I wasn’t going to get that at United so I made the decision to move here.
“Ten Hag is a very approachable guy but is very strict. He takes no-one bending the rules. He will say it how it is and will punish people if they have done the wrong things. My talk with him was easy.
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“I asked him plain and simple whether I was going to be in the squad or if he saw me playing a part. I felt the conversation did not go as well as I wanted and I made the decision to move.”
Garner is not the only player who has fallen out with ten Hag, who has been ruthless in his transfer dealings since taking over at United.
The former Ajax boss has also publicly criticised Jadon Sancho, who joined United for £73million in 2021, and reportedly angered Dean Henderson, who was denied a loan move away from the club.
Ten Hag has also sold several other players who were deemed surplus to requirements, such as Jesse Lingard, Anthony Martial, Nemanja Matic and Phil Jones.
However, his methods have also yielded positive results, as United have won the FA Cup and the Europa League under his tenure and are currently second in the Premier League table behind Liverpool.
Garner, meanwhile, has established himself as a regular starter for Everton, who are fourth in the league and have reached the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup.
The 22-year-old has scored three goals and provided four assists in 18 appearances for the Toffees this season and has earned rave reviews from fans and pundits alike.
He has also been called up to the England senior squad for the first time by Gareth Southgate for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Andorra and Poland.
Garner said he has no regrets about leaving United and is happy with his progress at Everton.
He said: “I’m really enjoying my football here. The manager [Rafael Benitez] has been brilliant with me. He’s given me a lot of confidence and freedom to play my game.
“I feel like I’ve improved a lot since I’ve been here. I’ve learned a lot from playing with some top players like Allan, Abdoulaye Doucoure and Richarlison.
“I’m delighted to get my first England call-up. It’s a dream come true for me. It’s something I’ve worked hard for since I was a kid.
“I’m looking forward to meeting up with the squad and hopefully getting some minutes on the pitch.”
Source: Mirror Online
