Hayden Hackney playing for Everton (left), James Garner playing for Everton (right)
Hayden Hackney playing for Everton (left), James Garner playing for Everton (right)
Hayden Hackney has praised his Everton teammate James Garner, and suggested one of his traits has taken him by surprise.
James Garner has had a bit of a slow start to the new season, having not had a pre-season due to undergoing surgery for a groin injury. He was unable to play any of the Toffees’ pre-season fixtures, and was unable to start in the opening Premier League game against Crystal Palace – but he did come on as a late substitute.
It has understandably taken the midfielder a few weeks to get up to speed.
But just before the international break he was looking a lot better, and the hope now is that we will see the Garner of last season again for Everton.
Garner was superb last term and so consistent. It was little surprise that he scooped Everton’s Player of the Season award when the campaign ended.
Garner is the kind of player who sets an example, and Hayden Hackney has already clocked a trait of his that has surprised him.
Hayden Hackney impressed by James Garner’s off-the-ball work
Speaking to the club’s official website, Hackney said of Garner (via Everton official): “From watching him last year, I think he had an unbelievable year. To be fair, his off-the-ball work has really impressed in training.
“Obviously, I knew he’s a good player, but off the ball as well, he’s been very good.”
This good off-the-ball work has translated into matches, with Garner covering around 11.2km per 90 so far. That places him 57th in terms of all Premier League players, and fourth in the Everton squad after Harrison Armstrong, Brennan Johnson and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.
As per Fotmob, he leads the way in the Everton squad for tackles per 90 (3.0), and he is also top of overall defensive contributions per 90, having made 12.3 per game so far. He is actually also fourth in the Everton squad for possessions won in the final third (0.5).
So it isn’t just in training that Garner’s off-the-ball work is there.
It is highly encouraging to see Garner putting up such numbers when you consider he did not have a pre-season for Everton.
Defensive contributions per 90 at Everton
#1 James Garner – 12.3
#2 Jarrad Branthwaite – 10.8
#3 James Tarkowski – 10.2
#4 Brennan Johnson – 9.7
#5 Merlin Rohl – 8.6
Now he’s with the England squad and being on the fringes is allowing him to just keep things ticking over, without his load becoming too much, which is ideal for Everton. We will see how much he features against Croatia and then Spain.
It is also good in the sense of Garner showing Hackney the way things are done at Everton.
Hackney will ultimately want to become a regular starter and so far the early signs are very promising. He will need to be patient, but if he follows Garner’s example, then he won’t go far wrong.