Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite has suffered a major injury blow that looks to have seen his season cut short.
The 18-year old centre-back joined Blackburn Rovers in the January transfer window on loan until the end of the season, having struggled for game time at Everton.
Branthwaite sits behind Mason Holgate, Michael Keane, Ben Godfrey and Yerry Mina in the pecking order at Goodison Park.
Branthwaite began his Blackburn loan spell as a key player for the Lancashire side, however since early March he has mostly found himself on the bench.
Talking to Blackburn’s official website however, manager Tony Mowbray admits Branthwaite’s season could be over, revealing that the former Carlisle man is set to undergo a scan on suspected ankle ligament damage.
Mowbray said: “Jarrad has quite a bad one. He’s rolled his ankle pretty badly in training and I don’t think we’ll be seeing him again this season.
“I anticipate it’s ligament damage, but I haven’t been given a full report on it.”
Disappointing blow
If the scans come back and it turns out that Branthwaite has suffered a lengthy injury it could be a hugely disappointing situation for the young defender.
Though Branthwaite is far down the pecking order at Goodison Park, he is held in high regard by those at the club who matter, and he very much remains in the club’s plans going forward.
Carlo Ancelotti confirmed as much earlier this month, rubbishing reports that he could look to sign a new centre-half in the summer by praising the four senior options at his disposal, as well as mentioning Branthwaite as a talent coming through.
Previously described as a “terrific footballer“, Branthwaite has only played a handful of times for the Toffees but he’s already shown his defensive assurance, and the Blues would have hoped to have seen him win more appearances for Rovers before his injury.
We’ll have to wait and see how bad his injury is, but hopefully he can be back playing as soon as possible.
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