Sean Dyche will regret Jarrad Branthwaite decision at Everton after England injury news
Jarrad Branthwaite returning to Everton after struggling with injury on England duty is a debacle that could have been easily avoided.
A pelvic issue picked up in the Toffees' 0-0 draw with West Ham on 9 November led to the 22-year-old returning to Finch Farm rather than travelling to Greece with the Three Lions after days of speculation [Sami Mokbel, 14 November].
Interim England manager Lee Carsley stated that he didn't want to "gamble" on Branthwaite's fitness by making him train and play through the pain barrier, but the real gamble was his initial selection.
Branthwaite had been picked to play for England's Under-21s until a spate of withdrawals led to his promotion to the senior team, and Dyche will regret his star defender being pulled from pillar to post.
Jarrad Branthwaite injury could send Everton back to square one
Given Branthwaite's record with injuries so far this season, any issue whatsoever picked up in the wake of the Toffees' last game could and should have been enough grounds to pull him out of England duty instantly.
Having been almost an ever-present for the Blues over the past year, Branthwaite's England call-up after just four appearances this term will have left everyone involved at Goodison fearing the worst.
And that bad news has inevitably come to pass, with Branthwaite now back at Finch Farm recuperating an injury which he may well have aggravated despite training away from the Three Lions' main group [Henry Winter, 12 November].
Representing his country – and under Carsley – is clearly a big factor for Branthwaite, having played in the side which won the Under-21s European Championships in 2023, but it's backfired in this case.
As he has been so often this season, Dyche will now be sweating on Branthwaite's fitness ahead of a packed winter schedule and could come to seriously regret not pulling rank earlier in the week.
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