The Everton midfielder is set to get more opportunities to impress Thomas Tuchel
Thomas Tuchel, head coach of England, greets James Garner as he leaves the pitch during the friendly with Uruguay at Wembley. Photo by Eddie Keogh - The FA/The FA via Getty Images
Thomas Tuchel, head coach of England, greets James Garner as he leaves the pitch during the friendly with Uruguay at Wembley. Photo by Eddie Keogh - The FA/The FA via Getty Images
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James Garner has received another boost to his England ambitions after keeping his place in the squad for the friendly with Japan.
Thomas Tuchel named an extended, 35-man group for this international break as he sought to explore the potential of several players he had not yet called up before naming his squad for the World Cup this summer.
Eight players will now leave the camp with Tuchel’s focus shifting to his core team after the experimental line-up that started the draw with Uruguay on Friday, Garner is set to remain, however.
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That Garner will keep his spot in the streamlined group should come as little surprise given his impressive display at Wembley. The 25-year-old was handed the man of the match accolade for his debut performance, after which Tuchel was full of praise.
As well as providing recognition for his impact on his first involvement in a senior England squad, the decision to keep him does suggest Tuchel wants to see more of the central midfielder as he mulls over his options. Japan is the last match before he names his squad for the tournament across USA, Mexico and Canada.
Of the eight that will return to their clubs, five are in need of medical assessment, including Noni Madueke, John Stones and Declan Rice. The departures of Aaron Ramsdale, Fikayo Tomori and former Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin will be to make way for the arrival of more prominent players under Tuchel, however.
Tuchel compared Garner to Real Madrid star Federico Valverde after the 1-1 draw against Uruguay, in which Valverde equalised with a stoppage time penalty. He said: "I am very happy, he is our mini Valverde. He is getting there and he played very, very good, I was quite sure that he would play good because he has this natural confidence and he is very physical, he won a lot of balls, I think there are some situations when he can be a little bit more open in the body positions and drive through midfield with a little bit more confidence.
"I think in the last 10 minutes of the first half he was involved in some ball losses that cost us a bit of confidence but overall I was very impressed with the way he trained and the way he behaved and the way he played."