James Garner accepts late England call and aims to justify 'mini Valverde' tag ahead of Spain tie

James Garner was added to England's squad as a late call-up for the Nations League meeting with Spain at Wembley on Saturday, and the Everton midfielder said he wants to live up to Thomas Tuchel's description of him as a "mini Valverde." He returns to the squad after the withdrawals of Declan Rice and Kobbie Mainoo.

Tuchel first applied the "mini Valverde" comparison in March after watching Garner's England debut, a 1-1 draw with Uruguay at Wembley in which he faced Federico Valverde. Garner, 25, earned his first senior call-up following a run of strong form for Everton from the turn of the year and had been considered unlucky to miss the World Cup squad when Tuchel selected Jordan Henderson and Kobbie Mainoo as midfield back-ups to Declan Rice and Elliot Anderson; Henderson played six minutes as a substitute during the tournament; Mainoo not at all.

Garner's return was prompted by the withdrawals of Rice and Mainoo, with Henderson left out on fitness grounds in the original selection that recalled Alex Scott and Myles Lewis-Skelly and continued to overlook Adam Wharton. Tuchel named Elliot Anderson as the most established midfielder in the group as he prepares for the Spain game. Garner was a late replacement and joined the squad after the call-up process that also involved Morgan Gibbs-White receiving a last-minute recall.

Garner said he had been on holiday in Bodrum, Turkey, when he received the call from the Football Association, flew home the following day and reported to St George’s Park on Tuesday. "It was a very short holiday," he said, adding that he was "more than happy to be here now." When asked whether he would emulate Gibbs-White's lighthearted TikTok packing clip, Garner replied: "No. That’s not me."

The Everton midfielder described the Valverde comparison as flattering. "It’s a very good comparison," James Garner says. He outlined his positional flexibility, noting he prefers central midfield but can also play at right-back or on the wing, and he emphasised his tactical awareness and passing range as core attributes.

Garner traced his development to Manchester United's academy, where he played as a centre-half until the age of 15 and later moved into midfield during a Nike Cup tournament after a teammate was injured: "We’ll push him into midfield." He cited former players as childhood inspirations, saying: "I’ve never actually said this but I used to love Nemanja Vidic," and adding that as he matured he admired Lampard, Scholes and Gerrard.

After loan spells at Watford and Nottingham Forest, Garner completed a permanent move to Everton for a fee of £9m amid Manchester United's summer signings of Casemiro and Christian Eriksen in 2022. He defended the decision to leave United as the right step for his career, saying: "It was the perfect thing for me to do – 1,000%." On regrets, he added: "Do I have any regrets about leaving United? No, not really. I am a big believer that everything happens for a reason. Had I stayed I wouldn’t have been where I am today so I am more than happy that I left."

Garner highlighted his international pedigree with England under-21s, recalling the 2023 European Championship in which he was named in the team of the tournament as a right-back and played in the final when England beat Spain 1-0. Looking ahead to facing Spain's midfield, he said: "Spain have got the Ballon d’Or winner in their midfield [Rodri] so to play against someone like that is the ultimate test," and added: "You want to go against the best and see how you fare."

After the Spain fixture at Wembley, England will travel to play Czechia and Croatia before returning to Wembley to face Czechia in subsequent Nations League matches.