One-cap England international has World Cup hopes dashed with season-ending injury

Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite has been ruled out for the rest of the season and will not play at the World Cup, talkSPORT understands.

The 23-year-old went off with a hamstring injury during last weekend’s 2-1 defeat to Liverpool in the Merseyside derby at Hill Dickinson Stadium.

AFP

Branthwaite could be seen in tears as he left the pitch on a stretcher in the 87th minute.

The ex-PSV Eindhoven loan star has endured an injury-hit campaign having missed the first half of the season due to a hamstring knock.

He required surgery in October to fix his issue, but the centre-back has now been rocked by another setback.

While his fresh injury is in the right leg which was operated on, it is not believed to be in the same exact area.

Toff luck

Still, he will play no further part this term as Everton look to secure European football for the first time since 2018.

The Toffees currently sit in tenth place with five matches to play – with just three points separating Chelsea in sixth and Fulham in 12th.

And in another bitter pill for Branthwaite to swallow, his dream of playing in this summer’s World Cup is over.

Branthwaite would have been in a fight to secure his spot in Thomas Tuchel‘s England squad having only made his first Premier League appearance this season in January.

In total, he featured ten times in the top-flight this term – starting on seven occasions.

His solitary England cap came in June 2024, where he was brought on from the bench in a 3-0 friendly win over Bosnia and Herzegovina prior to Euro 2024.

Getty

Getty

Since that fixture, Branthwaite has struggled to be fit on a consistent basis, with three separate knocks seeing him miss 20 games for club and country last term.

He has not been named in a Three Lions squad since making his international debut.

Speaking after Everton’s defeat to Liverpool, boss David Moyes expressed his fear that Branthwaite could be set for another spell on the sidelines.

He said: “Jarrad was probably the best player on the pitch.

“I thought he played so well, I’m worried it could be serious, but we’ll have to wait and see.”

Moyes then added in his post-match press conference: [There’s no update] but I’m worried, though. We’ve not had any results.”

Everton’s first match without Branthwaite will be against relegation-threatened West Ham on Saturday.

They then welcome Manchester City to Merseyside on Monday, May 4, in a fixture that could prove pivotal in the title race.