A former Manchester United player is attracting interest from the Red Devils despite leaving the club for just £9 million during Erik ten Hag’s reign.
Ten Hag enjoyed a two-and-a-half-year spell at United between April 2022 and October 2024, winning the League Cup and FA Cup, but ultimately fell short in the Premier League, leading to his sacking, before he was replaced by Ruben Amorim in the autumn of 2024.
The Dutchman has since managed Bundesliga side Bayern Leverkusen, but lasted just three games before he was dismissed back in September.
A year on from Ten Hag’s United dismissal, several of the signings he made have moved on, including goalkeeper Andre Onana, Rasmus Hojlund and Antony.
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Meanwhile, Mason Mount has yet to find his feet at the club, while Casemiro and Lisandro Martinez are arguably the pick of the bunch. Christian Eriksen and Jonny Evans also joined United under Ten Hag and were released upon the expiration of their contracts at the end of the 2024/25 campaign.
Several players also moved on after Ten Hag joined United, including Cristiano Ronaldo, but there was another less-high-profile exit which caused a stir among the most devoted of United fans at time.
After Ten Hag’s arrival in the summer of 2022, several clips of him passing advice to midfielder James Garner did the rounds on social media, causing some to speculate that he could be part of the Dutchman’s plans.
However, Garner signed for Premier League rivals Everton that summer for a reported £9m. Since then, he has made 93 appearances for the Toffees and has put in several top performances even when asked to play out of position as a full-back on occasion.
This term, with Everton currently sitting in eighth in the league, he has cut a confident figure alongside summer signings Jack Grealish and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and is quickly becoming one of the first names on David Moyes’ teamsheet.
But could he return to Old Trafford?
Well, according to United in Focus, the club are ‘exploring the conditions’ for his return with the midfielder’s Everton deal set to expire in the summer of 2026.
Transfer insider Graeme Bailey said: “United are aware of James Garner’s situation, they always keep an eye on academy graduates, and he is playing particularly well. I am told he has shown up well during reports within the recruitment department.”
Bailey also claimed that Everton are keen to offer the player a new deal, which would rule out the possibility of Garner leaving for free. It is unclear if the player would consider re-signing for United.
James Garner on Man Utd exit
Moving on from United was seemingly the correct decision for the midfielder given that he has since gained first-team experience at a solid Premier League club. But why did he leave the Red Devils in 2022?
He opened up about the transfer in an interview with BBC Sport in September 2023.
"When I came back to United, I felt like I had a good enough season to have a shot," Garner said.
"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.
"I could have gone on loan again and come back but I felt I would have been in the exact same position I was then. I didn't want to be stuck in the mud, I needed to make a decision to leave one of the best clubs in the world, which was hard, but it is one I am happy I made."
Topics: Manchester United, James Garner, Transfer News, Everton, Premier League, Erik Ten Hag, Football
Luke Davies