Ex-employee slams Everton for ‘worrying’ Jarrad Branthwaite decision as return timeline stared
Jarrad Branthwaite is still yet to play a competitive game for Everton this season amid another injury lay-off.
The centre-back hasn’t tasted Premier League action since the 2-0 win over Southampton in the penultimate game of last season, and this campaign has been a nightmare for him so far.
Branthwaite has suffered several setbacks at Everton on his road to recovery, as the team have been left without one of their key players in the early stages of the season.
David Moyes will be desperate to see his star man get back to full fitness as quickly as possible, but the last few months will not have passed without regret for the boss and his staff.
Bryan King ‘surprised’ by timing of Jarrad Branthwaite surgery
Everton have recently sanctioned surgery for Branthwaite in the hope of correcting his hamstring problem for good.
It is an issue that has continually plagued him since the latter stages of the Merseysiders’ pre-season campaign in what is sure to be a hugely frustrating situation for the 23-year-old.
Branthwaite has since confirmed that the operation to correct the problem has been successful, but he will likely still be a long way from a return to action.
- Branthwaite missed 15 games for Everton last term, as per Transfermarkt
- He has already missed 10 competitive games so far this season
Ex-Everton scout Bryan King – speaking exclusively to Goodison News – has slammed the Toffees for not detecting the defender’s issue earlier, and feels that they should have taken the option of surgery much earlier.
“It’s annoying all around,” King said.
“He’s been suffering with that injury for a long while, and with all the medical science that clubs have got now, I’m surprised they didn’t detect this problem earlier and operate on it in the summer.
“That kind of thing is worrying. They’ve obviously got all the medical facilities that anyone would want, and he’s been suffering with hamstring issues for ages.
“It must be terribly frustrating after he signed that new contract. Everton have got to make sure that he doesn’t break down again, and hopefully the surgery will have put that right.
“I can’t understand why things weren’t sorted out in the summer. It doesn’t look as though he’s going to be playing until next year.”
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Everton must sign more cover for Branthwaite in January
Branthwaite also had surgery on a groin problem last season, and the way that his injury lay-offs have piled up in recent years will be a huge concern to Moyes and Co.
Unfortunately, they cannot rely on the defender to be fit with any great certainty, and with that in mind, it is a must that they add further cover to their backline in January.
Michael Keane and James Tarkowski have done a steady job in Branthwaite’s absence, but the Toffees are stretched to the bare bones without him, and an injury to either of the aforementioned pair would prompt a major crisis.
Branthwaite is undoubtedly the best defender at the club, but his string of injuries surely means that Everton must effectively plan without him moving forward.
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