Everton appear to be moving in the right direction.
Last time out, the brand-new Hill Dickinson Stadium witnessed wild celebrations for the first time as the Toffees fought back from a goal down to beat Crystal Palace 2-1 in the dying embers.
jack-grealish-everton
Iliman Ndiaye converted a penalty, before Jack Grealish rather tackled in the winner from close range deep into stoppage time.
This propelled David Moyes' team up to eighth in the Premier League table and was a timely victory, considering the Blues' next two matches are Manchester City (A) and then Tottenham (H) after this latest international break.
So, while Everton's sole league defeat since the opening day came in the Merseyside derby at Anfield, one regular member of their team is on borrowed time, ahead of the return of, arguably, Everton's best player.
The latest on Jarrad Branthwaite's fitness
What has made Everton's decent start to the season all the more impressive is the fact that Jarrard Branthwaite is yet to play a single minute of it.
The England international suffered a hamstring injury during a pre-season friendly against Roma, so has not been seen in competitive action since the final game at Goodison back in May.
jarrad-branthwaite-everton
In the meantime though, he has signed a new five-year contract with the club, a serious statement of intent to secure the signature of a defender described as a "generational talent".
Ahead of the recent 1-1 draw with West Ham, Moyes noted that Branthwaite was not yet "back with the group" but is expecting him to be available "soon", so there is optimism that he'll be ready to feature in the coming weeks.
Having been both the Toffees' players' and supporters' player of the season in 2023/24, the 23-year-old's imminent return will only elevate this team, but could certainly be bad news for his current deputy.
Everton star on borrowed time once Branthwaite is back
In Branthwaite's continued absence, James Tarkowski and Michael Keane have started every Premier League match at centre-back so far this season, both ever-presents until the latter suffered a rib injury against Crystal Palace, replaced by Tim Iroegbunam mid-way through the second period.
Keane joined the Toffees from Burnley all the way back in 2017, accumulating 239 appearances for the club to date, playing under eight different permanent managers: Ronald Koeman, Sam Allardyce, Marco Silva, Carlo Ancelotti, Rafa Benítez, Frank Lampard, Sean Dyche and now Moyes.
Michael Keane
Speaking on Sky Sports' Monday night football, one of Keane's former caretaker bosses, Duncan Ferguson exclaimed that he's been blown away by the England international's recent performances, particularly in light of his goal against West Ham.
"It’s incredible how he got the height. He jumped off his two feet when normally it would be off one. It was behind him. What a header."
However, one would assume that, as soon as Branthwaite is back, the 32-year-old will find himself back on the bench, so let's assess how the duo compare.
Branthwaite 24/25 vs Keane 24/25 & 25/26
Stats per 90
Aerial duel success %
Ground duel success %
Clearances
Interceptions
Blocks
Ball recoveries
Touches
Stats via Squawka
As the table documents, Branthwaite comes out on top for the vast majority of defensive metrics included.
Keane did score that aforementioned goal against West Ham at Bramley-Moore Dock last month, but his days not only in the Everton team but at the club at all could be numbered, considering he is out of contract next summer, having signed a one-year deal last July.
Branthwaite, on the other hand, is the future, currently contracted to remain on Merseyside until 2030, so they will want him back in the defence as soon as possible.
Thus, while Keane is a serviceable Premier League player, Everton's new home signals that they have aspirations of grandeur, and Branthwaite's return will be key in getting them back there.