‘Can perform there’ - Sean Dyche confirms young star’s best position after recent starring form

Sean Dyche has been impressed with James Garner’s recent form and confirmed he is looking for him to play more central in the future.

Garner, 22, has always been a natural central midfielder but under Dyche he’s been used across the pitch including in the centre, out wide and even as a wing-back across the past eight months.

He joined Everton from Manchester United in the summer of 2022, but a back injury and lack of form saw him barely feature until Dyche’s appointment in late-January.

Starting in seven of the last eight games, including their final day victory over Bournemouth, was certainly a sign of things to come and it is clear he is held in high regard by the Everton manager, and he praised the midfielder’s flexibility when quizzed at his press conference today.

When asked about people querying over Garner’s recent positioning out wide, Dyche replied “Which people?” before then being told it was the general fanfare on social media, he then responded with: “I think it gives us more options for Jimmy, I think he’s applied himself to anything we’ve asked of him, which is terrific of him from a young player in the Premier League.

“Playing wide, playing wing-back, in certainly one of our main hours of need at the end of last season, doing a very good job. I thought he played very well down at Brentford in a wider position - I think he can perform there because of his delivery and the power he’s got.

“And I thought at Villa he was very good; I like the fact he’s adaptable, I do see him longer-term as being a central midfield player and I think he sees himself in that but he’s flexible and adaptable and being open-minded is a great thing to have for a young player.”

So far this season, he has been all-action across multiple positions, he’s averaged 1.7 key passes per game, 4.1 recoveries per game as well as winning 65% of his total ground duels.

With Jack Harrison now integrated into the Everton squad, he now has competition for that right-midfield role, but he certainly offers a different, more all-round midfield threat than the traditional attacking winger that the Leeds United loanee offers.

Dyche frustrated fans by leaving Arnaut Danjuma and Harrison on the bench for the Luton game, so it stands to reason that one of those will come into the side, but Garner looks undroppable on current form.