James Garner Faces Fitness Race for Everton’s Premier League Opener

Everton’s pre-season plans have taken an early hit, with James Garner undergoing groin surgery that leaves his involvement on the opening weekend of the Premier League season in doubt.

The 23-year-old, one of Everton’s standout performers last term, went under the knife after a problem was picked up in the first days of pre-season. What initially appeared a niggle serious enough to keep him out of the friendly at Dundee has now turned into a spell on the treatment table at Finch Farm.

Everton insist the operation was a success. The club say Garner has already started his rehabilitation and is “progressing as expected”, with a return to first-team training being targeted around the opening week of the season, dependent on how his recovery continues. That timeline leaves little margin for error. Even if he does rejoin training on schedule, match sharpness is another battle entirely.

The sequence was swift. Garner missed the Dundee game as medical staff assessed the groin issue, the club at that stage describing it as a problem that needed further investigation. Those checks led to the decision for surgery, a proactive move designed to fix the issue now rather than risk it lingering into the campaign.

His absence lands at a delicate moment for Sean Dyche’s midfield options. Idrissa Gueye has already departed after his contract expired in the summer, leaving a gap in experience and defensive nous. Everton are understood to be in the market for another midfielder, and Garner’s setback only sharpens that need. A player who grew into a central role last season, both in and out of possession, is suddenly unavailable just as the tactical groundwork for the new campaign is being laid.

Garner was one of several notable omissions from the squad that travelled to Bolton Wanderers for Saturday’s friendly. Tyler Dibling sat out with what the club described as a “minor knock”, while Hayden Hackney, one of three summer signings, was left out as he continues to be “integrated” into the group following his move from Middlesbrough.

Everton expect both Dibling and Hackney to feature in Tuesday’s friendly at Stoke City. Garner, though, will be watching from the sidelines, counting down the days and rehab sessions as the season rushes towards him.