How Jarrad Branthwaite has taken proven step towards ending Everton injury torment
Jarrad Branthwaite is "feeling good" as the Everton defender reveals the action he's taken to address his injury problems.
The 24-year-old has endured a rough time of things on the injury front recently.
He would only be able to make 10 competitive appearances for Everton in 2025-26, after suffering major issues with his hamstring.
Branthwaite had surgery in October last year, before again picking up another injury during April's Merseyside derby, ending his season.
Needless to say, but this has been hugely frustrating for him and everyone connected with Everton, as when fit, the one-cap England international is undoubtedly a very talented player at Premier League level.
Determined to play a larger role in the Toffees' future, however, Branthwaite has been putting in the time and effort over recent months to ensure he's putting his body in the best possible condition.
Which ex-Everton star Jarrad Branthwaite has modelled injury plan around
Branthwaite is far from the first, nor will he be the last Everton star to suffer from frustrating hamstring injuries.
One of the more recent players to endure this fate with the Toffees was Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
The striker dealt with a number of hamstring injuries during his time on Merseyside, and his struggle to keep himself fit for an extended period of time played a significant part in his eventual exit.
However, since signing for Leeds United last summer, the 29-year-old has seemingly put these problems behind him, as he turned out 39 times in all competitions for the Whites in 2025-26, which was the most games he'd played in a single season since 2021.
And now, as revealed in a report by the Liverpool Echo, Branthwaite has spent time working with the same Munich clinic that treated Calvert-Lewin during the height of his injury troubles at Everton.
"Hopefully, my bad luck's gone," Branthwaite said. "I have worked hard and I took time to go over to Germany and seek different opinions, so hopefully that will put me in good stead for the season.
"I have seen different people there (Germany), and taken a different approach to things. Hopefully that has put me in a good position.
"I'm feeling good and, like I said, it's going to be about managing my load a little bit better than I have in the past, me especially, you know, I just want to try and be back as quick as I can.
"So, I think managing the load and taking care of myself is probably what I need."
Everton's defence did let them down towards the end of last season, so just how good was Branthwaite in the limited time he had on the pitch, and what does it say about how important he's set to be this term?
How Branthwaite still proved he's amongst Premier League's best in 2025-26
Playing a mere 681 minutes of Premier League football was not what Branthwaite had in mind last season.
One of the Toffees' brightest young first-team stars, he's expected to be a poster boy for this new Hill Dickinson Stadium era, but to do that, he needs to be on the pitch.
Despite his limited availability last term, however, Branthwaite's numbers proved that if he can stay healthy moving forward, then Everton have one of the Premier League's best central defenders on their hands.
As per FotMob, his 78.9 per cent aerial duels won rate ranked Branthwaite in the top 4.4 percentile of all Premier League centre-backs in 2025-26.
Meanwhile, his 68.8 per cent duels won rate placed him in the leading 11.1 per cent, whilst his 53.8 per cent long ball accuracy ranked in the top 8.9 percentile.
Branthwaite was also amongst the top-performing players in his position on a per 90 basis for his 1.72 tackles won, 1.45 interceptions made, 0.40 fouls committed and 0.40 chances created.
So, if Branthwaite can have similar success post-Munich consultation as Calvert-Lewin has done, then he has the potential to be like a blockbuster new signing for David Moyes in 2026-27.