Everton’s longest international break in many years is finally over. The first window of the 2026/2027 season saw the typical September and October windows being added together for the first time.
There were 10 first-team players kept away from Finch Farm for almost three weeks as a result of the opening rounds of the Nations League and the U-21 European Championship qualifiers.
David Moyes will be generally happy with the condition that his players returned, as there were no major injury scares. Jordan Pickford cemented his claim to England’s number one jersey, while James Garner and Jarrad Branthwaite both got game time for the Three Lions.
The main fitness problem is Vital Mykolenko, which is now being handled by the team’s medical staff. There’s a busy period coming for Everton, starting with a trip to the surprise package Hull City on Sunday, followed by Chelsea, Arsenal, and Newcastle.
Pickford Holds Off Trafford
The player that most Everton fans watched the closest during the international break was Jordan Pickford.
Thomas Tuchel took a very close look at James Trafford, starting the Leeds United goalkeeper during the 3-2 home defeat to work against Spain and the 2-0 win against the Czechs. Pickford was an unused sub in both games, which sparked wider-ranging debate about the future of England’s number one shirt.
Pickford was brought back in for the trip to Croatia, where England romped home 7-0 and he kept another clean sheet during Tuesday’s 3-0 win over Czechia in Wembley. He’s now up to 91 caps and has clean sheets in more than half of those games, not conceding goals in 46 of his caps.
Pickford will be 34 when Euro 2028 takes place, which means that he’s still at a good age for a goalkeeper who looks after himself. It’s like backing an experienced horse with a fresh up-and-comer when weighing up racing odds, both have their merits.
The competition with Trafford will remain, so there could be more rotation during November’s games with Croatia and Spain. However, the Everton goalkeeper remains in pole position for now.
Vital Minutes for Two Youngsters
Branthwaite got back into the England squad, having only earned one cap back in 2024. He’s struggled with hamstring and thigh injuries, which ruled him out of contention for the World Cup squad. He said before meeting up in camp last month that he felt that he was good enough to warrant a position and was hoping to prove himself.
Tuchel said that the decision to include Branthwaite was a close one, with Chelsea’s Levi Colwill losing out this time. Branthwaite only got one minute against Spain, and the only other game he appeared in was against Czechia, replacing Marc Guehi after 63 minutes.
He’s been one of Everton’s best performers this season, so he won’t be happy with the limited game time across the games. However, he’s now back in the picture after two years away from the squad.
Garner had more involvement after being a late call-up following withdrawals from Declan Rice and Kobbie Mainoo. He came off the bench against Spain, Croatia and Czechia, getting almost 70 minutes in total across these games.
While there were no competitive starts, three caps in a fortnight show that Tuchel clearly rates him. There was a nice moment on Tuesday when all three Everton players were on the Wembley pitch at the same time.
The Injury Concern for Mykolenko
The biggest worry for David Moyes is Mykolenko. The left back started well for Ukraine, as he played 90 minutes in a 1-0 win against Hungary in Budapest. He missed the 0-0 draw with Georgia, as the coach Andriy Maldera said he didn’t want to risk him. He also sat out the 3-0 home defeat to Northern Ireland. He was sent back to Merseyside early thereafter.
Mykolenko is reportedly suffering from a leg injury that didn’t appear to be too bad initially, but developed into more of a problem. Everton’s medical staff determined that he shouldn’t have been training and needed rest.
The exact nature or severity of the injury remains unclear. It looks like his availability for the Hull game is unlikely. Losing a first-choice full-back for any significant period of time would be a big blow.
Johnson and O’Brien Rack Up the Minutes
Brennan Johnson and Jake O’Brien were the Everton players who got the most minutes during the international break, but neither will look back too happily on their performances.
Johnson played in Wales’ four Nations League games, starting three and clocking 263 minutes in total. Craig Bellamy’s side lost 1-0 in Portugal, 2-0 in Denmark and 1-0 in the return fixture with the Danes.
The 2-1 win against Norway only came on the night when Johnson dropped to the bench. He came on for the final quarter of an hour, but he failed to score or assist any goals during the campaign.
O’Brien also featured in Ireland’s four games, starting three of them. Heimir Hallgrimsson’s side started with a poor 1-0 defeat to Kosovo and then had a 3-0 win over Ireland.
O’Brien was left out of the 2-2 draw with Austria, coming on in the closing stages after the team coughed up a two-goal lead.
He returned to the lineup for the final 1-1 draw with Israel. O’Brien has only played 16 Premier League minutes so far this season, so the game time keeps him sharp. It’s unclear if he’s done enough to persuade Moyes to give him more opportunities.
Some Impressive Youngsters
The most encouraging stories were at the under-21 level. Tyler Dibling, Tyrique George, and Harrison Armstrong all featured for Lee Carsley’s England side. Dibling opened the scoring against the Republic of Ireland on Tuesday, but they lost 3-1.
England had already secured qualification for the 2027 European Under-21 Championships, so the defeat mattered little. George started twice during the window and played more than 140 minutes.
Armstrong got a late call-up from the England U-20s, impressing in two wins over Italy and France, before getting the call from Carsley and making his under-21 debut.
Braidan Graham is another interesting young player, but the 18-year-old striker saw no run despite being part of Northern Ireland’s squad for four games. Manager Michael O’Neill did praise the player’s attitude and availability in training.
With all moving back into camp full of confidence, David Moyes will hope that they’ll be ready to take on the mammoth task that lies in front of them with their next few Premier League fixtures.