Manchester United will discover the true cost of this decision in the summer transfer window
Thousands of players have come through the doors at Manchester United’s academy over the years. Some of them make it into the first team, others go on to have relatively successful careers in the lower leagues. For a long time, there were very few who the Reds regretted selling.
These days, there are a couple United may wish they had stuck with. Alvaro Carreras was not given a chance and is now the starting full-back for Real Madrid. Scott McTominay was reluctantly sold to make way for Manuel Ugarte – a decision that becomes more baffling by the day.
Both of those exits were given the green light by Erik ten Hag. However, another deal that was struck under the Dutchman’s watch could prove to be extremely costly this summer. When James Garner returned to Carrington in the summer of 2022, he looked capable of kicking on.
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He had been loaned to Nottingham Forest and played a vital role in their promotion from the Championship. The second tier has been used as a proving ground for United’s academy gems for years and, as Amad proved, a good spell in that division can be the gateway into the first team.
And yet, by the end of that summer, Garner had been sold to Everton for £15m. A year later, the midfielder explained why he agreed to leave the Reds. “When I came back to United, I felt like I had a good enough season to have a shot,” he 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.”
Now 25, Garner has matured into an impressive Premier League midfielder. This month, the former United man received his first England senior call-up with Thomas Tuchel singing his praises. “James Garner has just had a fantastic season,” the England head coach explained.
“He’s always available for Everton. He plays in multiple positions – right defender, left defender, six, eight. He’s fast, he has a clean foot and takes all the set pieces. I think he deserves it. He’s a bit of an underrated player.
“I have seen him many times now live and [I am] convinced about his quality and his character and want to see how he does in camp.”
What United would do to have a player like Garner in their prime, in their squad, heading into the summer transfer window. The Reds hope to buy two midfielders at the end of the season.
Carlos Baleba, Adam Wharton, Elliot Anderson, Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes have all been linked with United and all have whopping price tags. The Reds will need to spend more than £100m to shore up their midfield.
Garner is proof of the risks of selling your homegrown assets to make a quick buck. Yes, United benefitted at the time from a pure profit sale but the midfielder is now worth considerably more to Everton than £15m and would have saved the Reds millions this summer.
This short-term approach to transfers is something Ineos are looking to address moving forward. But the aftershock of poor decisions from the past continue to be felt today.
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