Manchester United made the decision to sell academy graduate James Garner to Everton back in September 2022, and he has since become an England international

Nicky Butt has revealed why Manchester United allowed James Garner to leave the club and linked the midfielder to a ‘poorer man’s Steven Gerrard’. The 25-year-old joined United’s academy at the age of eight and rose through the youth ranks before breaking into the first team, making seven appearances.

Following an impressive spell at Nottingham Forest during the 2021/22 campaign, helping the Midlands outfit clinch promotion from the Sky Bet Championship, several United supporters were determined to see him given an opportunity at Old Trafford.

However, instead, Garner was allowed to leave the club and join Everton on a permanent basis for £15m on the final day of the summer transfer window.

Get MEN Premium now for just £1 HERE – or get involved in our United WhatsApp group by clicking HERE. You can also join our United Facebook page by clicking HERE and don’t miss out on our brilliant selection of newsletters HERE.

Garner has since gone on to become a mainstay for the Toffees and saw his impressive form rewarded when he was named in Thomas Tuchel’s 35-man squad for the recent friendlies with Uruguay and Japan.

A place in Tuchel’s World Cup squad is now within reach for Garner, who was coached by Butt during his time at United’s academy.

And explaining why the now England international was allowed to leave, Butt, who held numerous coaching roles at the club until his departure in March 2021, has revealed it was down to Garner not having the ability at the time to play in the United’s first-team.

“I had him as a young kid at United, he’s a great lad,” he said, via Paddy Power. “He’s got it all, he can pass through the lines, he can defend, he can tackle, he can sprint.

“He’s like a poorer man’s version of Gerrard. Not as good as Gerrard, but he’s in that mould, he can do everything as a modern-day midfielder.

“He will definitely be going [to the World Cup] after that, he’s got his ticket on the plane. I don’t see why he couldn’t be back at United. He’s performing well, he’s playing for a big club with a big expectation with their crowd.

“Obviously they’re not expected to go and win the Premier League, but they’re expected to win and they’ve got passionate support.

“So he plays under pressure every week, he knows Man United and yeah, he’s doing amazingly well now. He’s got to do it again next season, it’s a bit soon to go and pay big money for him now, but I’m confident he can go and do it.

“At the time [Butt was in charge of the academy], Jimmy wasn’t at the level to burst into United and play regularly. It wasn’t working, so quite rightly, he moved on and kick-started his career.

“Jimmy is a bit like the player I was. Not the most talented, but his drive and desire to get to the top is up there with anybody I’ve seen.”