Everton look to have lost a key player just days before their Premier League opener against Leeds United.
Everton have suffered a major blow ahead of their trip to Elland Road amid reports Jarrad Branthwaite has sustained a hamstring injury.
Leeds welcome the Toffees to LS11 on Monday evening for their first 2025/26 Premier League fixture, a meeting both sides will hope to take something from. David Moyes’ men have endured a difficult pre-season but following the loan signing of Jack Grealish, looked set to head north with optimism.
That has been dampened, however, following news of Branthwaite’s likely absence. The centre-back has reportedly aggravated a hamstring injury in training which, if true, will certainly keep him sidelined for Monday’s Premier League opener.
Branthwaite missed the start of Everton’s summer preparations after suffering a hamstring injury during their 2024/25 penultimate-weekend win over Southampton. The 23-year-old is believed to have injured the same muscle, according to the Daily Mail, and faces up to six weeks out of action.
Branthwaite has been Everton’s most consistent defender for the past couple of seasons and his absence will be a major blow for Moyes, who recently hailed the England international as a ‘remarkable’ defender. The centre-back started 28 Premier League games last season.
Get all your Leeds United news for just £1!
Join Graham Smyth and the team as they bring you exclusive coverage from Leeds United’s pre-season, from transfer news to Premier League build-up. Don’t miss out on this limited time offer - subscribe today to be a part of the action.
Everton have only just welcomed James Tarkowski back from a hamstring injury that required surgery at the start of summer, with the initial plan being not to rush the 32-year-old. Moyes only has Michael Keane and Lewis O’Brien as alternative options, with the latter used more often as an auxiliary right-back through pre-season.
Everton light at the back for Leeds United trip
Recruitment chiefs on Merseyside have been looking for a new right-back all summer but are yet to get one through the door, with less than 24 hours left to register players in order for them to be eligible against Leeds on Monday. Moyes could also be without starting left-back Vitaliy Mykolenko due to a groin injury.
"We've got huge priorities as far as where we would like to try and buy the players if we could do,” the Everton boss admitted earlier this summer. "But also, we've got a numbers situation as well, we're short in numbers, so there's a bit of both.
Read More
“We're trying to get the pieces we really want first, and that's what we've been fighting to do. So hopefully we can, hopefully things will fall into place. But we're just beginning to think, my goodness, we're just not getting enough over the line.”
Leeds will hope to have right-back Jayden Bogle fit and available again, following his absence against Villarreal and AC Milan due to a hip flexor injury. Manager Daniel Farke is expected to provide an update on the state of his squad during his first Premier League pre-game press conference on Friday.
Continue Reading