View: Rio Ferdinand unable to put bias to one side as Everton man snubbed in World Cup prediction

Rio Ferdinand has provided his take on England’s strongest starting XI for the World Cup, with Everton’s James Garner snubbed for Manchester United star Kobbie Mainoo.

Garner recently earned his first cap for the English national team, with the midfielder starting in midfield against Uruguay.

If there were any nerves from the Toffees player, then he did well to mask them with a solid debut at Wembley.

Performances this season for David Moyes, which have helped propel the Blues into the battle for European places, have also catapulted Garner into Tuchel’s plans.

The 25-year-old has earned himself a chance to feature for the Three Lions at the World Cup with his performances in Everton’s matches, and suggestions that Mainoo should be in over him are absurd.

Why James Garner must be above Kobbie Mainoo in England’s pecking order

Mainoo is a top talent, there is no doubt about that, but in terms of form and performances this season, the 20-year-old does not come close to Garner.

Speaking on his latest podcast, Ferdinand has put Mainoo into his strongest England lineup for the upcoming World Cup, completely snubbing Garner.

Ferdinand’s reasoning for choosing Mainoo to feature in a three-man midfield is simply based on the fact that he was “one of the better players” at Euro 2024.

However, that tournament was two years ago, and since then the Man United midfielder has not been playing at the same level.

This campaign so far, Mainoo has started just 10 Premier League games, with Garner playing 146 per cent more minutes.

International tournament football is about form and not which players may or may not have been good for England at one point.

There are no metrics that show Mainoo has been in better form than Garner. The Everton midfielder has a higher duel success, more big chances created and more assists.

Ferdinand’s take makes little sense, and it may simply come down to the former Manchester United defender having a favourable bias for a Manchester United player.

What has Thomas Tuchel said about Garner?

Garner may be quietly confident about his chances for England based on the words that Tuchel said about him.

After he made his England debut, Tuchel described Garner as a “mini-Valverde”, highlighting just how good the Englishman is to be even remotely compared to the two-time Champions League winner.

The comments from the England manager will surely provide a boost to the 25-year-old ahead of the end of the season.

Garner could now push further into Tuchel’s plans after plenty of England stars withdrew from the squad.

As it stands, there may very well be midfielders that are in better form than Garner and will start ahead of him.

However, Mainoo is certainly not one of them.

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