Stelling names Everton ace who’s won him over in an instant after Man United display
Everton were able to lift the mood of supporters after battling to a 2-2 draw with Manchester United in their latest pre-season outing.
The Toffees were able to salvage a 2-2 draw in Atlanta with the Red Devils, as an Ayden Heaven own goal and an Iliman Ndiaye strike cancelled out goals from Bruno Fernandes and Mason Mount.
Pre-season hasn’t gone smoothly for David Moyes and his side so far, having failed to register a victory in five outings, with a home game against Roma still to come at the weekend.
Several players performed well against United, but Jeff Stelling singled out one man who caught his eye.
Stelling wowed by James Garner’s performance v Man United
James Garner was arguably Everton’s best player against Ruben Amorim’s side.
Garner was one of several changes Moyes made to his lineup after the defeat to West Ham United, operating in a deep-lying playmaker role.
The ex-United man thrived in the role, and Stelling was quick to point out his performance after previously not rating the midfielder highly.
Talking on talkSPORT’s Breakfast Show (4 August), Stelling said: “It was a decent game. [Iliman] Ndiaye, absolutely excellent. And I’ve never been his biggest fan, but James Garner was also absolutely fantastic.”
Everton need to improve results quickly after poor pre-season
Despite the improved performance, it is yet another game without a win for Moyes‘ side this pre-season, which is not going to help with momentum.
The Toffees have been excellent since the Scot’s return to the club in January, but any momentum from last season has now been halted completely.
| Opponent | Result |
| Accrington Stanley (A) | D 1-1 |
| Blackburn Rovers (A) | L 1-0 |
| Bournemouth (N) | L 3-0 |
| West Ham United (N) | L 2-1 |
| Manchester United (N) | D 2-2 |
Luckily for Everton, their first three fixtures are relatively kind, but with fixtures against Aston Villa, Manchester City and the Merseyside derby at Anfield in the first eight games, they need to start the season strong before the international break.
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