Everton midfielder James Garner won't be available to play Manchester United in the FA Cup because he's currently injured.
Garner joined United's academy at age seven and he progressed to make his first-team debut in 2019, but he departed from Old Trafford in the summer when signing for Everton for an initial fee of £9 million that could rise to £15.5m.
It's understood Erik ten Hag was happy to allow Garner, 21, to leave the club in search of regular minutes, which United could not guarantee after the signings of Christian Eriksen and Casemiro to bolster the midfield.
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Garner was highly regarded in the academy and enjoyed two loan stints with Nottingham Forest to accelerate his development during his time at United, but his pathway to the first-team was blocked and that forced him to look elsewhere.
Although the midfielder would have been in contention to make his return to Old Trafford for the first time since leaving the club on Friday night in the FA Cup, he's currently sidelined with a back injury, which means he's unavailable for selection.
Garner is yet to start a game in the Premier League this season, despite making an appearance from the bench in Everton's last five league fixtures before the World Cup break, but Frank Lampard has insisted he will become a 'big player' on Merseyside.
Shortly after leaving United, Garner told The Times : '"In the moment it is very disappointing. That was the club that I trained with five times a week for years and years and years, that I made my debut with.
"But I didn't want to stagnate. I didn't want to stay there really and when they said I could leave also, I was in agreement with that. I just think it all made sense. I had two good seasons on loan and returned to United in the summer.
"I know in myself I wouldn't have played if I had stayed. I knew it was the perfect time now, at 21, to move on and try and stake my claim somewhere else and hopefully find a home, which I have now in Everton.
"Where I am at in my career now, I didn't just want to be an extra body or I didn't want to just be a spare player in training."
Garner is contracted at Everton until the summer of 2026.
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