James Garner on idolising Vidic, Everton versatility and earning his first England call-up

James Garner has revealed that Nemanja Vidic — not Lionel Messi or a Premier League playmaker — was the player he idolised growing up, as the Everton midfielder reflects on a career path that has led, at last, to a senior England call-up under Thomas Tuchel.

“I’d be lying if I said Messi,” Garner said. “As mad as it sounds — because obviously I came through at Manchester United — I used to love Nemanja Vidic. I used to love the No 15 and things like that. I’ve never actually said that: I used to love Vidic.”

The admission sits alongside more conventional inspirations — Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Paul Scholes — for a central midfielder who grew up in Birkenhead. But it speaks to a player whose identity has always been rooted in defensive solidity as much as technical quality.

Garner’s route to the top has been anything but straightforward. He started out as a centre-back, and it was only a chance injury during the Nike Cup at around age 15 that pushed him into midfield. “Our defender got injured in the first game,” he recalled. “I’ve always been half-decent with the ball at my feet so they thought, ‘we’ll push him into midfield’. I had a really good tournament and literally from there, I started playing midfield.”

At Everton, that adaptability has become his calling card. Garner describes his primary role now as a “single six” — a lone defensive midfielder — but he has also operated in a double pivot, as a No 8, on the right of midfield, and even at right-back. When Vitalii Mykolenko was ruled out through injury at the start of last season, Garner stepped in at left-back and, characteristically, performed without fuss.

His development has cast an unflattering light on Manchester United’s decision to sell him for £10m in 2022. That same summer, United signed Casemiro and Christian Eriksen; Mason Mount and Sofyan Amrabat followed the year after. This year alone the club have spent £150m on midfielders. Garner, however, is not one for grievance.

“I am a big believer that everything happens for a reason,” he said.

The England call-up — which came after he missed Tuchel’s initial squad selection — arrived while Garner was on holiday, a moment that underlined just how far the 23-year-old has travelled from those early centre-back days with the Under-16s and Under-17s.