Is it crunch time for Jarrad Branthwaite? | OneFootball

It’s tough being an Evertonian, isn’t it?

Last week, on the back of salvaging a point against Brentford, fans were in a buoyant mood, with a historic Merseyside derby coming up, and Evertonians were going into the fixture, for the first time in a good while, with confidence.

Of course, the bubble was burst in a cruel manner, but to compound the misery, Jarrad Branthwaite suffered a serious hamstring injury.

Branthwaite arguably had his best game of the season on Sunday, albeit the obvious caveat is that there are not many to choose from — he has been limited to just 10 Premier League appearances, and just seven starts.

He made six clearances and won six of seven duels, and was dominant aerially from set-pieces. His presence was clearly missed right at the death, but we won’t tread over that old ground again.

It was absolutely no surprise when, on Tuesday, reports began to emerge that Branthwaite’s season was over. I wrote in our ‘What We Learned’ article that it was to be expected, and it didn’t take a mystic Meg to figure it out.

On Wednesday, there was at least some positive news. Branthwaite will not be needing surgery. That means he should be able to take some part in pre-season. For various reasons, he has missed large chunks of the last two pre-seasons, and that will certainly not have helped his cause — always having to play catch-up on fitness and sharpness.

But when it comes to the bigger picture, where do Everton, and Branthwaite, go from here?

In the summer of 2024, it genuinely seemed as though Everton might have to sell Branthwaite. Indeed, had Manchester United met the club’s valuation, Branthwaite almost certainly would have moved to Old Trafford.

Financially, Everton are now on a very different footing. They made a statement of intent last summer by tying Branthwaite down on a long-term contract.

That being said, it is hard to see any club spending big on a player who cannot stay fit, especially in a position such as centre-back, where the best ability is often availability.

And Branthwaite is not a player who could or should be sold on the cheap. He is likely on a six-figure per week salary and is, when fit, an elite operator. Naturally left-footed, but excellent with his right boot, superb on the ball, fantastic in the tackle, excellent from set-pieces and, to boot, he possesses the recovery pace required to play in a higher line. Throw in the English tax, and the starting point for a valuation should be £70M.

That is not me advocating to sell Branthwaite — quite the opposite. But if he is not playing regularly, then unfortunately that valuation, which should be realistic, is instead pie in the sky.

He has managed just 681 minutes of action this season. Last term was also derailed by several lay-offs, though he still managed 30 league appearances (28 starts). Hope is not lost, that is hardly a terrible record, and this season perhaps just has to be put down as “one of them”.

The worry is that what makes Branthwaite so good is possibly also what makes him at risk of injury.

He is rangy and tall, but a sprinter; those kinds of players are, of course, more liable to muscular injuries, with groin strains and hamstring pulls especially prevalent.

But Everton — and Branthwaite — have to find a way forward; they have to find a way to fix it.

If it means taking longer to let Branthwaite recover fully, so be it, but it’s worth noting his minutes have been carefully managed since his return this time around.

If it means bringing in another centre-back, in order to reduce the necessity on Branthwaite to be fit, then so be it, although this writer feels the best solution would be to simply purchase the much-needed right-back, and finally put Jake O’Brien into his natural position.

This summer is suddenly huge for Branthwaite, and Everton. There is no need to throw the baby out with the bathwater and give him up as a bad job or a crock, but he will be turning 24 soon, and so can’t really be counted as a young player for too much longer.

Everton need to get it spot on. A hard reset is required and it needs to be done right. They will surely look into every little thing, every possible marginal gain to ensure Branthwaite can not only play consistently, but also deliver his best consistently.

When he is fit and firing, we all know what a difference he makes to this Everton team.

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A word of apology as this should really be classed as an Editorial and not a News Item on ToffeeWeb. But if we did that, you probably wouldn't see it -- for some irritating technical reasons that Harry and I are working through to try and get resolved.

We covered this story with the brutal news piece: Branthwaite out for 2 months as Evertonians fear the worst and many of you will have commented there.

This is meant more as a big picture reflection by Patric on what the larger implications are going forward, for the club, the squad, but importantly for the player himself, for whom this must be extremely hard.

2 Posted 23/04/2026 at 14:25:24

A real shame for Jarrad, he has been brilliant since his surgery on his hamstring; to suffer the same injury must be mind-numbing for him.

Without doubt, he is a future regular centre-back for England. I am sure Everton Physios have all the electronic equipment monitoring everything but I guess nobody can legislate for what's happened to Jarrad.

I know Moyes suggested a few weeks back they would have to be careful to manage Jarrad's games time, but if this is going to be a recurring problem, then it gives Everton a major problem.

I am sure they will send him to the world's best person to get another opinion as he is so valuable to us.