Lee Carsley reveals England did not want to gamble with Everton star

Lee Carsley has admitted England were never going to gamble on the fitness of Everton star Jarrad Branthwaite after he was sent home from their camp.

Initially, Branthwaite received his second senior call-up to the squad after several key names dropped out of the final two UEFA Nations League games. They will also by Carsley’s last in charge as Thomas Tuchel will take over from January.

With Branthwaite being promoted from the U21 squad to the senior squad, it looked like he was ready to step back into action. However, as per journalist Alan Myers, he missed training on Wednesday with a knock picked up in the draw with West Ham.

Carsley then explained why he was allowed to leave and replaced with Liverpool’s Jarell Quansah. “We have tried to give Jarrad as long as we can but he is going to miss out, so Jarrel will take part in the rest of the camp”, Carsley said, as per the Daily Mirror.

“Jarrad has been treated for the last two or three days and it’s an issue that Everton will take over when he goes back. We will never gamble with a player’s fitness.”

For Everton, ensuring that one of their best players remains fit consistently will be the goal. That hasn’t been the case this season as Branthwaite has started just two league games but he did complete 90 minutes in their most recent outing.

Branthwaite’s time in the England set-up will come as he is extremely highly-rated but fans will just want to see him back in the starting line-up, and playing consistently. There’s even the potential that he misses the Brentford game at Goodison Park on November 23, before returning for the big clash with Manchester United a week later, giving him ample time to shake off his latest knock.