James Garner leads changing of Everton guard in amid Sean Dyche friendly decision
Everton being captained by James Garner in their most recent pre-season friendly is a sign of the changes Sean Dyche is making at Goodison Park.
With no Seamus Coleman or James Tarkowski on the field in the second half of their friendly with Salford City on 27 July, Garner wore the armband for the first time as a Toffee.
It certainly didn't weigh heavily on him either, as the midfielder curled home a superb free-kick just five minutes after the restart – but couldn't prevent a late comeback from Salford as the hosts won 2-1.
In quotes reported by the Liverpool Echo [29 July], Garner wasn't phased by the captaincy either, saying: “I have always been a natural leader.
"I've always had the armband since I was a kid up to the Under-21s [in Manchester United's academy], so the next step for me now is being a captain of the first team – I think it is natural for me to lead a team just by how I play.”
James Garner a leading candidate to lead new-look Everton
Coleman may have been the Toffees' captain since years before both Garner and Dyche stepped through the doors, but at 35, he's hardly expected to be a permanent fixture in the team this season.
That would naturally see the armband pass to Tarkowski, a player Dyche has worked with at both Everton and Burnley down the years, and one who was exceptional alongside Jarrad Branthwaite last season.
However, despite the Blues being increasingly confident that they'll keep Branthwaite this summer, their pursuit of Lyon defender Jake O'Brien suggests that the competition is set to increase at centre-back [Fabrizio Romano, 28 July].
Should Tarkowski be displaced in defence by the much younger pairing of Branthwaite and O'Brien, that would leave a vacancy for the captaincy – one which Garner will be confident he can successfully fill.
The departure of Amadou Onana also leaves a hole which Dyche is actively looking to plug, but with Garner adept on the right-hand side of both midfield and defence, there'll still be space for him to step up and don the armband next season.
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