Everton star makes 'heroic clearance' as Premier League return beckons

Jarrad Branthwaite. (Photo by George Wood/Getty Images)Jarrad Branthwaite. (Photo by George Wood/Getty Images)
Jarrad Branthwaite. (Photo by George Wood/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Everton FC news: The centre-back has been a huge miss for Sean Dyche’s side.

Jarrad Branthwaite caught the eye with a late clearance that ensured Everton’s U21 side beat Sunderland U21s at the weekend as he stepped up his recovery.

Having missed the entirety of the season so far, Everton’s defence simply hasn’t been the same without him. They have already conceded 27% of their total league from last season and the 22-year-old is a crucial player for Sean Dyche.

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In his place, Michael Keane has started five league games - that’s one more than he managed for the whole of last season. Summer signing Jake O’Brien hasn’t been trusted despite performances for Lyon last season and the defence has been stretched with injuries at right-back as well.

Branthwaite caught the eye in the 4-3 win over the weekend as he managed an acrobatic overhead clearance on the line in the dying minutes of the game to save Everton. It was met by loud applause in the stadium and it meant Everton moved up to 9th (out of 26) in the Premier League 2 table. He played the full 90 minutes while Nathan Patterson, who also featured on return from injury, managed 61 minutes.

With Crystal Palace at Goodison Park on Saturday, Dyche will likely reintroduce into the line-up, giving James Tarkowski his partner back and relegating Keane to the bench. Vitalyi Mykolenko should also return after missing out against Leicester City last weekend and while Patterson may only be available for the bench, he could still feature, with either James Garner or Ashley Young set to step in at right-back.

Last season’s form from Branthwaite saw him become tipped for a place in the England Euro 2024 squad and it’s worth remembering how good he was across the campaign. When he plays, they average 1.3 points a game and it drops to 0.4 without him. He also made the most interception inside his own box last season and was the second highest rated English centre-back on WhoScored.

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He also had the highest duel success rate of any defender under the age of 23 last season with 68%, beating the likes of Chelsea’s Levi Colwill, Sepp van den Berg at Mainz, Leny Yoro and Riccardo Calafiori and his return coincides with a run of fixtures that are certainly winnable, as they don’t face a top six until November 1.

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