England boss Thomas Tuchel should be keeping an eye on Hill Dickinson Stadium when it comes to his World Cup squad
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Why Thomas Tuchel should watch Everton to give England best chance of World Cup glory
Thomas Tuchel should be keeping a keen eye on Everton [Photo: The FA]
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In the early days of Sven Goran Eriksson’s tenure as England manager, the Football Association introduced an online tool which they named The Sven Tracker.
One click could tell you what the Swede was up to, strictly in a professional sense, of course.
The Sven Tracker would pinpoint where the national boss was watching his club football, who he was running the rule over on any particular day.
Only The Sven Tracker did not last too long because it soon became clear that the bon viveur was not keen on straying too far from his Regent’s Park home.
He had a favourite restaurant or two, Sven, and they were not up north.
The same cannot be said of Thomas Tuchel but the German is also a lover of London life and whether he will make it up to Merseyside on a damp Monday night next week is probably in the balance.
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But it would seem to be a no-brainer. The rejuvenated visitors will have more than one English World Cup hopeful in their starting line-up and the same goes for Everton.
Only a few days ago, Thomas Tuchel said Luke Shaw, Kobbie Mainoo and Harry Maguire are “back in the picture” after playing all five games under Michael Carrick.
Everton, of course, have a certain World Cup starter for England in Jordan Pickford and, like United, will probably field three outfield players on Monday who are in with a chance of making Tuchel’s squad.
In the cases of the very talented but uncapped James Garner and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, inclusion in Tuchel’s plans is very much a long shot.
If there are midfield places available, Mainoo is probably ahead, not least because of his tournament experience, having played in the final of Euro 2024.
Anyhow, Tuchel is spoilt for choice when it comes to his midfield. The same cannot be said when it comes to his choice of central defenders and that is why Monday’s match at Hill Dickinson Stadium is a big, big game for Jarrad Braithwaite.
Yes, he is only just feeling his way back from a long lay-off, but, essentially, he could be going head-for-head with Maguire for a crack at the World Cup with England.
Maguire has clearly been inspired by Carrick, is in fine form and has been a mainstay of three England tournament campaigns.
But Tuchel has yet to select Maguire and has not come across as his greatest fan.
Then again, Tuchel has yet to select Branthwaite, and had a couple of opportunities to do so before the injury that meant the defender did not start his club season until last month.
The 23-year-old has plenty to prove to Tuchel. But against a team that is in a good vein of attacking form - 11 goals in Carrick’s five games - this is the sort of occasion on which Branthwaite needs to shine.
And, of course, there is the sub-plot of United’s well-documented interest in Branthwaite over the past couple of years.
Everton now have him under that long-term contract but Branthwaite will want to prove he is worthy of elite club interest.
And what he will definitely also want is to add to that solitary senior England appearance - a half-hour runout in a friendly against Bosnia in Newcastle in the early summer of 2024.
No, he has not got the experience of Maguire, who turns 33 in a couple of weeks’ time.
But Monday - whether Tuchel ventures up from London, or not - is the stage for Branthwaite to prove he is the future of England’s central defence.
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