Jarrad Branthwaite boosted Everton recently after returning from injury, but potentially his World Cup prospects could become complicated by David Moyes.
Everton could not call on the defender for the first half of the season, after he sustained a hamstring injury in pre-season, for which he would eventually require surgery.
What would your message to David Moyes be after the loss to United? 😡
He cannot find the answer at the Hill Dickinson…
David Moyes reacts during Burnley vs Everton at Turf Moor.
Credit: Getty Images/Richard Martin-Roberts – CameraSport
Jarrad Branthwaite returned as a half-time substitute in the recent home draw with Leeds, and thankfully, he’s shown a relatively high level so far since coming back.
He’ll no doubt have eyes on the World Cup this summer, as will a number of his Everton teammates.
But David Moyes’ recent experiment with the player may not help his cause.
Jarrad Branthwaite needs to shine at centre-back for Everton as Thomas Tuchel considers England squad
Jarrad Branthwaite playing for Everton.
Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images
Recently, Moyes has deployed Branthwaite twice at left-back for Everton.
Against Brighton, Vitalii Mykolenko had a knock and couldn’t play. Rather than turn to youngster Adam Aznou, Moyes called on Branthwaite.
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Then against United on Monday, Branthwaite again played out wide.
To his credit, Branthwaite looked fairly solid on both occasions.
But this experiment is surely not something that will boost his England chances.
Versatility is never a bad thing. But realistically, there is zero chance that Branthwaite would play left-back for England, given there’s the likes of Luke Shaw, Lewis Hall, Kieran Trippier and Nico O’Reilly.
It is simply futile to shine in an alternate position for your club, if there’s no real chance of playing that position for your country.
In these coming months, Branthwaite needs to be playing in his natural centre-back position almost exclusively, and making a good impression.
He’s probably already up against it having only accrued one England cap so far.
That’s why he’s got to be playing in the centre of defence, if he’s to have any hope of getting a seat on that plane.
What Branthwaite thinks about playing left-back
Branthwaite is quality, and so, he has not even really looked out of place playing out wide.
And it’s a position he’s happy to fill as Moyes seeks to get Everton back on track. However, he did make sure to say that he’d prefer to play in the middle.
Jarrad Branthwaite playing for Everton.
Photo by MB Media/Getty Images
Speaking after the defeat to United, he said: “The manager asked me to play there again and I’m happy to if it keeps me on the pitch.
“Obviously I’d like to be at centre-half, but, you know, I’m always happy to be on the pitch and helping the team.”
With this subtle comment, Branthwaite hopefully won’t find himself playing left-back too many more times, in what is a crucial period for him ahead of the World Cup.
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