David Moyes has been explaining his team's injuries ahead of Everton's home game against Tottenham Hotspur
David Moyes at his pre-match press conference to preview Everton's game with Tottenham Hotspur
David Moyes at his pre-match press conference to preview Everton's game with Tottenham Hotspur
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David Moyes has refused to put a timescale on Jarrad Branthwaite’s recovery time. And the Everton manager has gone into detail about the nature of Nathan Patterson’s double injury.
Branthwaite has yet to kick a ball in the 2025-26 campaign so far after a stop-start pre-season saw him feature at Accrington Stanley and Blackburn Rovers, miss the USA trip for the Premier League Summer Series and then return for the inaugural first-team match in front of fans at Hill Dickinson Stadium against Roma, only to break down again.
On Monday, just days after he had been on the cusp of a comeback, Everton announced that the England international had experienced a complication in his recovery from a hamstring injury and following specialist consultation, it had been determined he would undergo a surgical procedure the next day before commencing a structured rehabilitation programme under the supervision of the club’s medical team after his operation.
Asked in his pre-match press conference to preview the Blues home game with Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday how much of a blow it was to lose Branthwaite for a prolonged period, Moyes, whose team lost 2-0 at Manchester City last weekend, said: “We had him back, we had him back in full training.
“We expected him to be very close for Man City, but it just didn’t feel quite right, so we got it checked and got some work done on it.
“We won’t put a timescale on it. We’ll give him a chance to heal and take his time.”
Another defender yet to kick a ball for the first team this season is Patterson, who is back on the sidelines after a painful run-out for the Under-21s as they were hammered 5-1 at Bradford City last week in the Vertu Trophy with the right-back diverting Stephen Humphrys shot into his own net.
Explaining the issues that his fellow Glaswegian is facing, Moyes, who was watching on that night at Valley Parade, said: “Patto had a plantar fascia tear in his foot, which he picked up in the game against Bradford for the Under-21s.
“It is probably going to keep him out for a couple of weeks.
“In that period, he’s had a little bit of an issue with his hernia, so we’re probably going to get it tidied up while he’s out with his plantar fascia.”