Updated Jarrad Branthwaite is returning to Merseyside to undergo treatment on a minor problem as his early-season fitness woes continue to affect his availability for club and country.
The 22-year-old had been called up to the senior England squad for the upcoming Nations League games against Greece and the Republic of Ireland after Levi Colwill pulled out but now he has been forced to withdraw himself.
Everton have confirmed that Branthwaite has left the England party as a precautionary measure for treatment on a minor injury, now revealed to be discomfort in his pelvic bone rather than a recurrence of the niggling quad problem that has restricted him to just two starts so far this season, having undergone hernia surgery over the summer.
The injury may have contributed to the fact that the Cumbrian defender was only named on the substitutes’ bench for the recent Premier League matches against Ipswich, Fulham and Southampton, with manager Sean Dyche also pointing out the good form of Michael Keane as a reason.
Branthwaite had been training apart from the rest of the England squad as the medical staff tried to manage his recovery from having played 90 minutes at West Ham last Saturday but, if the Bobble’s information is correct, the decision has been made that he won’t be fit for either of the Three Lions’ games this month.