Everton manager Frank Lampard has explained why he wanted to sign James Garner from Manchester United.
After helping Nottingham Forest win promotion back into the Premier League Garner returned to Old Trafford this summer and hoped to force his way into first-team plans after the club appointed Erik ten Hag as a permanent successor to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
However, although he went on tour with the United squad, Garner was deemed surplus to requirements and several top-flight clubs formed an orderly queue for his signature. In the end, though, it was Everton and Lampard who won the race for his services as the Toffees rubber-stamped an initial £9million switch on deadline day.
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Garner, 21, progressed through the academy system at United, but he only made seven senior appearances for the club. He has been capped four times by England U21s and could make his Everton debut against Liverpool at Goodison on Saturday lunchtime (12.30pm).
During a pre-match press conference for the Merseyside derby, Everton manager Lampard said: "On the flip of the strategy [to signing Idrissa Gueye], he's a young player with lots of energy and lots of quality. He'll improve with us and he will improve us.
"It's a good example of us trying to move forward in a sensible direction, improving the team, improving the core of the team in midfield - getting energy in there, as well as quality. We've got good competition in there as well, which is important, of course, with a long season."
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