James Garner excelled at the weekend as England Under-21s reached the semi-finals of the Euro Championships. Could the Everton player have a bigger role to play next season?
One of the problem positions that Blues boss Sean Dyche has to sort out this summer are the full-back spots.
Everton had constant issues with both the left and right-back position last season due to a combination of injuries and poor form.
Vitalii Mykolenko didn’t prove a very effective player at left-back and his form seemed to decline as the campaign went on.
Meanwhile, on the other flank Seamus Coleman and Nathan Patterson shared the duties with both having spells out for injury.
Coleman has been offered another one-year contract, which seems to make sense given his experience, nous and leadership skills.
But the 34-year-old Irishman is clearly not a long-term solution. And, Patterson seems cursed by constant fitness problems.
The young Scot is a talented player and looks like a modern full-back with the ability to get up and down the flank and offer both solid defensive and fine attacking qualities.
If the former Rangers star could stay fit, he would surely be able to make the right-back slot for Everton his own for years to come.
Midfielder Garner was signed last summer towards the end of the window along with another, Amadou Oanana.
At the time, it seemed that this was a little odd for the club to sign both midfielders, given that Everton needed forwards more than anything else as the days ticked by.
He then inevitably suffered an injury that kept him out of the team for the first half of the season and so we saw very little of him.
Then when he had recovered he couldn’t get into the midfield as Dyche was relying on Onana, Abdoulaye Doucoure and Idrissa Gueye in his central three.
Garner finally got a few opportunities and did reasonably well showcasing his defensive strength, positional sense and ability on the ball to pass accurately and progressively.
Then, as last season came to it’s dramatic climax, with both Coleman and Patterson out injured, Garner came in at right wing-back for the make-or-break final match of the campaign against Bournemouth.
The former Manchester United youth product excelled in this unusual position as the Toffees famously managed the win they needed to secure Premier League status.
Although long-term his best position will surely be in central midfield, could he be an alternative for Dyche to consider at full-back or in a wing-back formation next season?
Perhaps, especially after his performances for England, in the short-term he could be a genuine alternative to provide some added solidity and attacking support at the back.