James Tarkowski and Jarrad Branthwaite were both taking part in drills after having had questions over their fitness before the international break
Jarrad Branthwaite during the Premier League match between Everton and Burnley at Hill Dickinson Stadium. Photo by James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images
Jarrad Branthwaite during the Premier League match between Everton and Burnley at Hill Dickinson Stadium. Photo by James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images
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James Tarkowski and Jarrad Branthwaite have both been involved in training through the international break, providing a boost to David Moyes.
The centre backs endured fitness concerns in the games leading to the halt in domestic football. They each missed the narrow defeat to Arsenal, sparking fears over their wider availability.
Both have continued to make progress - useful for Everton given the fresh concerns over Vitalii Mykolenko and Iliman Ndiaye.
Tarkowski, who is understood to have missed the trip to the Emirates with an issue picked up in training the day before the game, returned to play the full game as Everton hammered Chelsea seven days later. Branthwaite, who David Moyes has said is having his workload managed after he missed the opening five months of the season with hamstring problems, was a late substitute in that match.
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Training ground photos released by the club this week show both taking part in drills with the rest of their teammates, offering further reassurance the pair will be able to play significant roles in the final seven games of a season that could still end in Europe.
Their availability would be a major boost for Moyes, who picked up two injury concerns over the international break. Senegal said Ndiaye was ruled out of their fixtures against Peru and Gambia due to a foot injury the national side said was sustained with Everton. Mykolenko then missed Ukraine’s friendly with Albania with an adductor injury. Both injuries were initially believed to be minor and the FA Cup break will provide a further week for them to recover.
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