Photo by Eddie Keogh - The FA/The FA via Getty Images
Photo by Eddie Keogh - The FA/The FA via Getty Images
The international break is finally over, and fans only have a few more days to wait to see Everton back in Premier League action.
The first international break of the season was an extended one, with many nations playing four matches.
Everton had eight players called up to senior squads in this break, and a further three players involved with youth sides.
The majority of the players appear to be heading back to Finch Farm unscathed. But Vitalii Mykolenko has reportedly picked up an issue, which is slightly concerning. David Moyes will no doubt be asked about that later this week when he does his press conference.
Ideally, those returning will be feeling relatively fresh and with that, let’s take a look at the level of involvement those who went away actually had.
Jake O’Brien the most involved international player for Everton
It’s always great to see Everton representatives involved for their nations.
But in this particular break, fans could be forgiven for wanting to see as little involvement for their Toffees players as possible, given how small Everton’s squad is right now.
And for the most part, those that went away didn’t really feature all that heavily.
Jake O’Brien was the Everton star who played the most minutes during the break, starting three out of four games for the Republic of Ireland. He got 285 minutes in total. With O’Brien having barely featured for Everton in 2026/27 so far, the minutes he got are actually quite welcome.
Brennan Johnson was the next most involved international, playing a total of 263 minutes for Wales across four appearances (three starts). This break was a good chance for Johnson to play himself into a bit of form, following a few lukewarm performances for Everton. Unfortunately, though, he was unable to score or assist in any of his appearances.
Jordan Pickford comes in at number three, having played 180 minutes. Thomas Tuchel gave him and James Trafford two matches each for England.
Vitalii Mykolenko only played one 90-minute game for Ukraine before he then picked up his unspecified issue. Being Everton’s only left-back, it is hoped on Merseyside that this issue will not be serious.
Player Minutes played
Jake O’Brien (Ire) 285
Brennan Johnson (Wal) 263
Jordan Pickford (Eng) 180
Harrison Armstrong (Eng U20s) 121
Tyler Dibling (Eng U21s) 110
Tyrique George (Eng U21s) 91
Vitalii Mykolenko (Ukr) 90
Braiden Graham (N Ire U21s) 84
James Garner (Eng) 67
Jarrad Branthwaite (Eng) 28
James Garner was handed a couple of substitute appearances for the Three Lions, and interestingly spent some of his 67 minutes playing at left-back.
Jarrad Branthwaite was the least used Everton player during the international break. He got two cameo appearances for England, totalling just 28 minutes.
Moyes will secretly be pleased that Branthwaite – who has arguably been Everton’s standout player – did not feature too much for England, given his fragility. He is absolutely crucial to Everton, and that he’s coming back fresh is a big boost. Garner also received a modest amount of minutes which the manager will welcome, since he has still been working back to full fitness after surgery in pre-season.
O’Brien getting nearly 300 minutes was important given his lack of opportunities so far for Everton.
Johnson featured a fair bit for Wales, and it will actually be quite interesting to see if this means Moyes looks to use him from the bench against Hull this week. Certainly, Tyler Dibling would be deserving of a start.