Former Manchester United player James Garner believes he has proven his quality to those who had no faith in him when he was at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils offloaded Garner to Everton for £15 million in the summer of 2022.
The midfielder rose through the ranks of the United academy after joining them at the age of seven.
He has thrived at Goodison Park and is now a key player for manager Sean Dyche.
The £20m-rated midfielder admitted it was a ‘tough’ call to leave United but knew he was taking the right step.
He told The Telegraph: “When they start signing three or four midfielders, you kind of understand your place. It was a decision that I wanted to make.
“It’s always a tough decision [to leave] when you’re coming from a club that is deemed one of the best in the world.
“It was a big decision but one I knew was right.
“I feel like I’ve proven it to those who didn’t believe me over that side, but more importantly I’ve proven to myself that I can play in a Premier League side week in, week out.
“I definitely had conversations with him [Ten Hag] but I’d just come off the back of a good season, probably the best season I possibly could have had, so I didn’t want to sit on the bench week in, week out.”
The 22-year-old has shown great adaptability by playing in a number of positions for Everton. The flexibility and work rate he offers have helped him become a key cog in Dyche’s system this season.
Many did not expect Erik ten Hag and United to sell James Garner, especially after his fruitful loan spell with Nottingham Forest.
Ten Hag wanted to remodel his midfield department and did not believe Garner had what it takes to step up.
Casemiro and Christian Eriksen were signed, and they had a fine debut season at Old Trafford. However, both of them were over 30 when they were brought in.
This season has exposed their ability against teams with fast players who try to catch United in transitions.
Ten Hag’s decision to keep Fred and Scott McTominay ahead of Garner is unforgivable.
His transfer to Everton is another example of how poorly the club have been run.
Their first mistake was to sell Garner without giving him a real chance to prove his mettle.
If they had to sell him, they should have demanded more than £15m, which is peanuts in today’s transfer market. This was their second mistake.
United have a habit of overspending and selling their players at a bargain price.
Hopefully, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS can break this poor custom.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com
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