Everton aim to block summer swoop from Manchester United

Manchester United’s defeat to Everton on Monday has already raised questions of how Ruben Amorim’s tenure is set to continue for the rest of the season.

The Red Devil’s loss unfortunately not only because it ended a five-game unbeaten run, but because of the manner of the loss.

United spent 70 minutes with a man advantage at Old Trafford and still fell to a 1-0 defeat, as 10-man Everton claimed their first league win at the Theatre of Dreams since 2013.

Idrissa Gueye’s red card for clashing with team-mate Michael Keane should have swung the night decisively in United’s favour, yet instead Amorim’s men failed to get back into the game.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s strike before the half-hour mark proved decisive, but it was the way Everton managed the rest of the contest that will sting most.

Jordan Pickford stood tall when called upon, while a tireless midfield shield, led by former Red Devils academy product James Garner, disrupted United’s rhythm and exposed familiar issues with control and creativity in the middle of the pitch.

That performance only sharpened the focus on the next phase of United’s midfield rebuild.

The plan over the coming windows remains to land at least one major signing in the engine room, with Elliot Anderson, Carlos Baleba and Adam Wharton among the headline targets discussed at Old Trafford.

Any additions around that are expected to be smart, opportunistic deals that complement a marquee arrival rather than replace it, which is where James Garner comes into the fray.

TalkSport report that Manchester United are monitoring the 24-year-old’s contract situation at Everton, with his current deal due to expire at the end of the season.

United, Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa are all said to be keeping tabs, but Everton are stepping up talks over an extension and Moyes is understood to be determined not to lose him.

From United’s point of view, the attraction is obvious.

If Garner were to become a free agent, bringing an academy graduate back as a low-cost, homegrown squad option would free up budget for a major signing such as Baleba, Anderson or Wharton.

But Everton’s push to tie him down is designed to block exactly that kind of summer swoop, and could yet force United to choose between paying a premium or walking away.