Michael Kenrick 11/07/2026 24comments  |  Jump to last

Jarrad Branthwaite's last appearance, against Liverpool at Hill Dickinson Stadium on 19 April 2026
(Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)

Jarrad Branthwaite showed signs of making good progress in recovery from his latest hamstring injury nightmare when he participated in various training drills and physical tests with other players returning to Finch Farm for the first day of pre-season training yesterday.

There is no doubt the club view Branthwaite as the bedrock of our future, which made last season's heartbreak all the more difficult to stomach. A devastating hamstring injury on the eve of the campaign kept him out until late January.

When he finally returned, he transformed the side, spearheading a brilliant run of form that dragged Everton into the European conversation. Yet, in typical Everton fashion, his cruel injury against Liverpool in the first derby at Hill Dickinson Stadium left the team bereft of its quiet and unassuming fulcrum, precipitating a horrendous collapse in form over the final seven matches of the season, leaving us to wonder what might have been as a golden opportunity slipped through our fingers.

But his resilience to ward off injuries remains a concern, with many voices claiming that his recent seasons show he cannot be relied upon to form part of a consistent core for the team going forward. Such injuries are problematic, and the path to full recovery is often long and arduous, with the risk that permanent damage has been done, or that some inherent vulnerability increases the likelihood for recurrence. 

More's the pity considering how very diligent the club had been in bringing him back slowly and carefully from the first hamstring problem last season.... only for the latest problem to develop when the player overreached and slid onto the pitchside path, in obvious pain 3 months ago.

The crucial test will come in those seven pre-season friendlies, when we get to see just how much he is allowed to play as the team works up toward the new season.  

 

Reader Comments (24)

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Mike Hayes
1 Posted 11/07/2026 at 13:34:43
Will he be used sparingly given his injuries, fingers crossed he comes back stronger and has a decent run next season 💙
John Collins
2 Posted 11/07/2026 at 13:37:38
If he stays fit. Can anyone name a better left-sided centre-back in the Premier League?

I wouldn't swap him for any other in the Premier League.
Alan J Thompson
3 Posted 11/07/2026 at 14:27:34
Seven warm up friendlies in a short space of time should see if there is long term damage.
Christy Ring
4 Posted 11/07/2026 at 14:45:35
Rumours he's our new captain wearing no.4, good decision.
Ajay Gopal
5 Posted 11/07/2026 at 14:49:30
Good to see that Moyes is also back from his World Cup talk show duties.

Branthwaite looks fit (knock on wood). And most of the squad except Ndiaye and Pickford seem to be back at Finch Farm.
John Collins
6 Posted 11/07/2026 at 14:52:47
I reckon we have done okay in the market in his absence though.

Rohl, George, Hackney. All steps in the right direction. I think Armstrong will turn out to be the best of all of them.
Tony Abrahams
7 Posted 11/07/2026 at 15:16:25
I wouldn't swap him for any other defender, John, and just hope that Jarrad can stay injury-free next season.\
John Collins
8 Posted 11/07/2026 at 15:59:20
Just watching the rugby game at The Hill Dickinson.

There's a lad playing, 6-ft 8-in, 19 stone. Jumps about 9 foot in the air.

Commentators reckon Moysey pulled him over at half time, asked him could he play right-back.
Raymond Fox
9 Posted 11/07/2026 at 16:50:53
I very much hope he can stay fit, I just don't see it though.
Paul Hewitt
10 Posted 11/07/2026 at 17:22:32
I'd swap him for either Arsenal centre-back.
John Collins
11 Posted 11/07/2026 at 17:33:01
Even the right-sided one, Paul?
David West
12 Posted 11/07/2026 at 17:57:02
Big season for him, needs to prove he can be relied on, and not get labelled injury-prone. So good when he's fit, there's a reason Man Utd and others were interested.

It's typical Everton isn't it, unearth a gem for next to nothing, loan him out to a Champions League team, comes back playing amazing, £60 - 70M rumours, but signs a new deal and we can't keep him fit for longer than a few months.

Hope he sorts it out long-term, and can't bear to leave the club!
Christy Ring
13 Posted 11/07/2026 at 19:23:10
A fit Branthwaite is probably the best left-sided centre-back in the Premier League.

I wouldn't swap him for anyone.
Andy Meighan
14 Posted 11/07/2026 at 19:46:07
John 2.

Absolutely spot on and for me, though I'd be gutted to see Ndiaye and Pickford move on, I'd be devastated to see Jarrad go.
John Collins
15 Posted 11/07/2026 at 20:18:15
A Rolls-Royce, Andy.

An added bonus is his passing ability, easy to see he played in midfield until his mid-teens.
Minik Hansen
16 Posted 11/07/2026 at 00:30:11
Absolutely important timing of return, right at the start of preparation to pre-season, couldn’t wish for better than that for his return to recovery. All the best, Jarrad Branthwaite. 🤞
Paul Griffiths
17 Posted 12/07/2026 at 02:09:59
I don't actually think that Moyes left Lytham-St-Annes this summer. He just meanders upstairs to his home office to natter on TalkShite.

He did not look good imo in yesterday's first-day-back video. Perhaps he had just flown in from LA? Don't think so.
Stu Darlington
18 Posted 12/07/2026 at 08:56:46
David @12
Says it all really.
Derek Knox
19 Posted 12/07/2026 at 19:23:38
What was he on before - Cannabis or Skunk ? :-)
Dean Williams
20 Posted 12/07/2026 at 22:16:28
Jarrad Branthwaite is the best English centre-back in the Premier League, hands down.

I was talking to him last week, said he's super fit and raring to go.
Ashley Krotosky
21 Posted 13/07/2026 at 10:18:44
Jarrad is a class act, and he (along with all of us) must his rue the injury which prevented him showing his true worth, in the England back line at the World Cup.

However, this season, I think he needs to be wholly focused on his own contribution to the EFC cause. I disagree (sorry Christy @4, if you feel otherwise), but there are better candidates for the captaincy at this time, not least Garner and Dewsbury-Hall.
Eric Myles
22 Posted 13/07/2026 at 15:30:41
Paul #17, are you daring to suggest that all the diatribe on ToffeeWeb about Moyes going off on his jollies to the World Cup instead of staying home and 'taking care of (transfer) business' was all nonesense?

How dare you!

It's not like he's not getting his internet feed paid for by Talksport. Is he even commenting on live games? He's probably recorded them on his Betamax and makes his comments later.
Andrew Ellams
23 Posted 13/07/2026 at 16:17:31
Wasn't Moyes just in Talksport to discuss Scotland games?

In which case, it was probably a shorter trip than his normal summer holiday.
Martin Berry
24 Posted 15/07/2026 at 17:17:35
I really hope they get Jarrad's hamstring issues sorted as permanently as possible, even if he needs more time to get those strings strong again. Any reoccurrence of this issue would be devastating for the player, even though he is still young. We don't want Jarrad to be a player being always one lunge away from the same injury. I hope for him and the club that this issue is now solved.

He certainly looked comfortable on the training pitch recently, good luck to him.

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