David Moyes to rue his luck as cruel Jarrad Branthwaite injury news emerges
Everton favourite Jarrad Branthwaite has had a hugely frustrating time of things of late on the injury front.
England international Branthwaite was injured in Everton’s pre-season loss to Roma and has not played a minute of competitive action this campaign.
David Moyes revealed on Friday that Branthwaite was back training at Finch Farm on the grass and a comeback looked close.
However, the centre-back has suffered another setback in what is a cruel blow for both himself and indeed Moyes.
Jarrad Branthwaite to undergo surgery
Branthwaite is a contender for England’s World Cup squad, but on the basis of the past three months or so, that is now looking unlikely.
The 23-year-old has not been able to showcase his talents to Thomas Tuchel, and nor will he for the foreseeable future.
Everton confirmed on Monday that Branthwaite is to undergo surgery on Tuesday after experiencing a “complication” in his recovery from a hamstring injury.
No further details have been shared, but it means Branthwaite’s return to the side is clearly still some way off yet.
Branthwaite’s most recent game – competitively speaking – was Everton’s 2-0 win over Southampton on 18 May.
That means the former Carlisle United ace has yet to play a competitive match at Everton‘s state-of-the-art Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Branthwaite blow piles more pressure on Michael Keane
Michael Keane has stepped up for Everton in Branthwaite’s absence, forming a good partnership with James Tarkowski at the back.
However, it goes without saying that Moyes will be eager to get Branthwaite back into that backline as soon as possible.
Exactly when that is going to happen is now anyone’s guess, with details on this surgery limited at this point.
| Games | Clean sheets | Duels won per game | Average rating |
| 30 | 8 | 3.9 | 7.02 |
All we can assume is that Branthwaite is still some way off a comeback as he will need time to recover from this latest procedure before working his way back to full fitness.
Hopefully Branthwaite returns to the form we previously saw, but right now it is simply a case of ensuring this hamstring problem is fixed for good.
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