Everton: Report shares if Jarrad Branthwaite to start for England v Belgium
Everton star Jarrad Branthwaite is set to be named on the bench once again for England when they face Belgium on Tuesday night, according to The Telegraph.
Writing on their website (26 March), the news outlet report that the Toffees defender won’t make his first appearance from the start despite injuries to Kyle Walker and Harry Maguire in the back line since the defeat to Brazil.
John Stones is set to start a second game, with Lewis Dunk coming in alongside him in place of Maguire while Aston Villa’s Ezri Konsa is set to start at right-back, leaving Branthwaite as a substitute once again.
Gareth Southgate wasting everyone’s time
Obviously England don’t have a lot of games left between now and Euro 2024 starting, and Gareth Southgate needs to make a decision on his squad ahead of the tournament.
But if he is going to call players up for their first opportunities in a limited window, then he has to use them and actually give them a chance otherwise it’s a waste of time.
A player like Branthwaite playing in central defence surely needs at least 90 minutes to show how he can cope with a top attack like Brazil or Belgium over the course of a game and how he will adapt to different situations.
However, now it seems as though the best thing he is going to get is 45 minutes in a much-changed side which clearly won’t be the best situation for him to show the best version of himself.
He would have been better off sticking around at Everton and continuing to develop under Sean Dyche ahead of the huge relegation battle that the club are facing.
In other Everton news, Sky Sports have shared the three things that must happen for 777 to get full control of the club.
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