Jarrad Branthwaite got called up to the England U21 squad after not making the cut for Thomas Tuchel’s first Three Lions squad list. The Everton defender will instead feature in a 25-man U21 squad that will take on France and Portugal in friendly matches.
Branthwaite, who made his senior national team debut in June last year, will be disappointed with the omission given his consistently impressive performances at the heart of the Toffees backline under David Moyes.
Tuchel, who took over from Gareth Southgate at the beginning of this year, decided to call up Newcastle United’s Dan Burn instead of the 22-year-old. The Blues goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, a mainstay in the England camp, has been included in the squad to face England’s FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Albania and Latvia.
Branthwaite recently spoke about how being omitted from the Euro 2024 squad “motivated” him to perform better. The centre-back, included in the provisional 33-man squad, was left out of the final squad and had to watch the Three Lions finish runners-up from home instead.
"I think every player does have an eye on it," Branthwaite told BBC Sport when asked if he is already looking ahead to next year's tournament.
"I missed out recently with a big squad and I don't want that feeling again. That gave me motivation to [make sure] every game I play is my best to help my club and then give myself the best possible chance to be in the England squad.
"Once it comes around, that is my main ambition - to be picked in that squad."
There’s no question that it is only a matter of time for Branthwaite to make the leap as a national team mainstay. He was unfortunate to miss out on selection this time around but Everton fans can be confident that the 22-year-old will only use this as fuel for growth. With the FIFA World Cup set to be held next year, Branthwaite will already have one eye on the tournament and will be keen on impressing Tuchel.
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