Lee Carsley makes ‘gamble’ admission on Everton ace Jarrad Branthwaite after England withdrawal
Lee Carsley has insisted that England would not “gamble” on a player’s fitness after Everton ace Jarrad Branthwaite pulled out of the squad.
The centre-back stepped up to the Three Lions senior team from the Under-21s this week after the likes of Levi Colwill withdrew from the squad [BBC], but missed training on Wednesday [13 November] due to a knock he picked up against West Ham on Saturday [9 November], as per Alan Myers.
Sky Sports have since reported that Branthwaite has not travelled with the England squad for their game against Greece on Thursday [14 November] and will return to Finch Farm instead.
Confirming the news, Carlsey said that the team waited to see if the 22-year-old would be fit, but decided not to risk him in the end.
“We have tried to give Jarrad as long as we can but he is going to miss out, so Jarrel will take part in the rest of the camp”, Carsley said, as per the Daily Mirror on Thursday [14 November, page 58].
“Jarrad has been treated for the last two or three days and it’s an issue that Everton will take over when he goes back.
“We will never gamble with a player’s fitness.”
Everton sweating on Jarrad Branthwaite after Lee Carsley’s England admission
This will be a huge cause of concern for Everton, who have been without Branthwaite for much of the ongoing season.
The England international missed the Toffees’ first five Premier League games after undergoing surgery in the summer and then received another setback after playing the full 90 minutes in their 2-1 win against Crystal Palace on 28 September.
Branthwaite returned after two games, but Sean Dyche took a cautious approach, waiting another two games before starting him in the 0-0 draw with West Ham last weekend.
While his latest issue is said to be minor, it remains to be seen when he will return to training with Everton.
Dyche would not be wrong to be upset about England calling the youngster up to the national team after just regaining full match fitness.
The Toffees are sixteenth in the table, sitting just three points above the relegation zone, and Dyche will be hopeful that Branthwaite can remain fit for the next few months as he looks to steer the team away from danger.
In other Everton news, a player swap between the Toffees and Roma has been mooted as Dan Friedkin completes his takeover of the club.
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