David Moyes shares new Jarrad Branthwaite update as another Everton player injured
David Moyes will be eager to end a poor record against his name when Everton travel to Manchester City this weekend.
Moyes has lost eight in a row away to City in the Premier League with Manchester United, Sunderland and West Ham.
The Scotsman has not avoided defeat at the Etihad Stadium since December 2012, when he was in his first spell as Everton manager.
Everton travel to Man City on Saturday aiming to build on the 2-1 win over Crystal Palace at Hill Dickinson Stadium prior to the international break.
Moyes provided a team news update ahead of the Man City match at his weekly press conference from Finch Farm on Friday.
Jarrad Branthwaite back training on grass at Finch Farm
Jarrad Branthwaite has not played for Everton this season due to injury, but he is quickly closing in on a return to action.
Indeed, Moyes confirmed to reporters that Branthwaite is “back on the grass”, as is teammate Merlin Rohl.
Rohl impressed on his Everton debut but has not featured since 13 September due to injury.
Moyes also confirmed that Nathan Patterson picked up an injury during the international break, which will likely see him drop out of the squad this weekend.
While it is not nice to see Patterson out with another injury, it will not exactly be a major loss for Everton in Manchester.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall will also return to action on Saturday after serving a suspension, but Jack Grealish is absent due to the terms of his Man City loan arrangement.
Branthwaite return on the horizon at Everton
The most recent update provided by Moyes on Branthwaite prior to the Palace match two weeks ago was that the centre-back was not yet on the training pitch.
That has changed over the two-week hiatus, but it is not yet clear just how close Branthwaite is to a return to first-team action.
Everton’s next three Premier League games:
- Manchester City (A) 18 October
- Tottenham (H) 26 October
- Sunderland (A) 2 November
The good news is that Michael Keane has stepped up alongside James Tarkowski, meaning Moyes has not had to rush Branthwaite back.
Everton’s next game after this weekend is at home to Tottenham a week on Sunday, before then travelling to Sunderland on 3 November.
It may well be that the latter of those two has already been pencilled in for Branthwaite to make his comeback.
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