Jarrad Branthwaite has been called up to the England squad by Gareth Southgate for the upcoming games against Brazil and Belgium, alongside Everton teammate and England regular, Jordan Pickford.
It’s the latest step in the defender’s accelerating rise to prominence and reward for his superb first full season in Everton’s colours following a successful season-long loan in the Netherlands with PSV Eindhoven.
Branthwaite has become an automatic first choice in the heart of Sean Dyche’s defence and his impressive consistency given his comparatively tender years has attracted plenty of transfer speculation and what many felt was an inevitable summons to the England setup.
The 21-year-old will get an opportunity to press his claims for a place in Southgate’s squad that travels to Germany this summer for the European Championship finals.
He will be joined by former team-mate, Anthony Gordon, who has also received his first call-up.