Jarrad Branthwaite frustration shared in ‘massive’ Everton admission
Dwight McNeil has revealed Jarrad Branthwaite’s frustrations after the Everton star made his first appearance of the season versus Crystal Palace.
Branthwaite made his long-awaited return from injury in the Toffees’ 2-1 win over Palace on Saturday (28 September), coinciding with a first league victory of the season for Sean Dyche’s side.
McNeil’s second-half brace proved the difference to lift the Blues out of the Premier League’s bottom three, and the winger shared how difficult Branthwaite’s long road back from injury had been.
In quotes reported by The Daily Mirror’s football pull-out (30 September, page 11), he said: “I’m close with (Branthwaite) and I know he was frustrated, he was injured and his return maybe took him a bit longer than he wanted.
“He’s a massive part of our squad. I’m happy to see him back. He’s a massive player and he’s got an exciting future.”
Jarrad Branthwaite return compounds perfect week for Everton
Just seven days ago, the Toffees were without a single win in the Premier League, still without their star man in defence, and seemingly without direction off the field too with takeover talks at a stalemate.
Since then though, a complete sea-change in both the short and long-term fortunes of the embattled club has swept through Goodison Park, likely leaving Blues fans with plenty to be pleased about.
Winning their first league game of the season – bolstered by the return of Branthwaite at the back – after the news of Dan Friedkin’s impending takeover will have massively eased the burden on Sean Dyche.
Dyche having his preferred defensive triangle of Branthwaite, James Tarkowski and goalkeeper Jordan Pickford to choose from once again could prove transformational in the coming months.
There’s still a long, long way to go in an expected Premier League relegation battle, but with Branthwaite in tow, as Friedkin steers the ship, things are finally looking up on the blue half of Merseyside.
In other Everton news, Toffees fans will be far from happy after what one former Goodison player said about their arch-rivals.
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