Everton: Jarrad Branthwaite may have dented England hopes as Gareth Southgate update emerges
Everton are in the middle of an incredibly difficult season in the Premier League currently and their defeat to West Ham United summed up their season so far.
Despite holding their own for most of the contest, Sean Dyche’s side spurned a number of excellent goalscoring opportunities before conceding two injury-time goals to drop a valuable point in their bid to avoid the drop to the Championship.
The frustration inside Goodison Park was audible for all of those watching inside the ground and on Match of the Day later, but the Toffees’ ground played host to a special visitor as Gareth Southgate made the trip to Merseyside [Tony Jones, 2 March].
With a number of England internationals featuring for both sides, the Three Lions boss was likely thinking about his selection for the March international break, but Jarrad Branthwaite’s performance may have harmed his chances of receiving a call-up.
Many pundits have suggested that the 21-year-old is deserving of a maiden international call-up for the upcoming clashes with Brazil and Belgium, but statistically, he struggled against the Hammers on Saturday.
Branthwaite won only three of his nine aerial duels in the contest as David Moyes’ side managed to get the better of Everton from set-piece and was only accurate with 29 per cent of his seven attempted long passes, according to Fotmob.
The Toffees’ centre-back didn’t enter a single ground duel in the match or even attempt a tackle but did impress with nine ball recoveries as still showed that even when not at his best, he can offer a lot to Dyche’s team.
Will Gareth Southgate call Everton gem Jarrad Branthwaite up for Euro 2024?
However, Southgate is not a coach renowned for making loads of changes to his squad each and every international break and Branthwaite’s slightly poor display on Saturday may well have cost him an international place.
While it would be a shame if the 21-year-old didn’t manage to make the trip to Germany for this summer’s Euros, it may boost Everton’s chances of keeping him at Goodison Park beyond the summer as they look to hold teams to ransom in the transfer window.
In other Everton news, the Toffees have a new hero in their bid to avoid relegation from the Premier League this season
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