Everton: Graeme Souness shares new Jarrad Branthwaite England admission
Graeme Souness has admitted that he would like to see Gareth Southgate give a chance to Everton ace Jarrad Branthwaite for England in their upcoming friendly fixtures.
The Toffees defender has been called up to the Three Lions squad for the first time after the 25-man squad was announced ahead of friendlies against Brazil and Belgium later this month.
The fixtures allow Southgate to test and ready his players before travelling to Germany in the summer to battle for the Euro 2024 title, and Souness believes that Branthwaite must be involved in the friendlies.
Writing for the Daily Mail’s Match Day pull on Saturday (16 March, page 7), he wrote: “I’d like to see Gareth Southgate give Sam Johnstone, Cole Palmer, Jarrad Branthwaite and Anthony Gordon a good run-out in the friendlies against Brazil and Belgium.
“Results aren’t paramount but coping with pulling on that white shirt at Wembley is. You never know what injuries might crop up between now and England boarding that flight to Germany in June so it’s imperative to know if these players can deal with the expectation.”
Will Jarrad Branthwaite be awarded for his Everton performances?
With John Stones, Harry Maguire and Ezri Konsa all called up, Branthwaite will be in fine company once he arrives at the England camp during the international break.
At 21 years of age, the centre-back already looks like a player for the future, which is why it will be important to transition Branthwaite into international football, having only played six matches for England Under-21s so far.
The young prospect may seem inexperienced, for international competitions anyway, but he has settled in well at Goodison Park, creating a formidable partnership with James Tarkowski, with only Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City conceding fewer goals than the Toffees.
Considering Maguire’s lack of minutes for Manchester United, and Stones’ risk of injury in recent seasons, Branthwaite could be a vital player for England come the summer, but nobody will want his debut to come at Euro 2024.
The 21-year-old has continued to improve and impress under Sean Dyche, starting 25 of Everton’s 28 league matches so far, becoming one of the first names on the teamsheet.
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