Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite has been backed to overtake two of his rivals in the England pecking order if he maintains his current form.
The 24-year-old went into the latest international break with just one cap for the Three Lions, a 28-minute cameo in a 3-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina at St James' Park on June 3, 2024. He doubled his tally with a late substitute appearance in the 3-2 defeat to Spain on September 26, then won a third cap with a 27-minute outing in the 3-0 win against Czechia on October 6, both at Wembley.
Strong start for Everton
Branthwaite has been in fine form for David Moyes' side this season. Although he did not feature in either of their Carabao Cup ties, he has helped Everton keep Premier League clean sheets against Crystal Palace, Tottenham Hotspur and Ipswich Town.
Former England international Alan Smith, who won 13 caps and scored two international goals, has now backed him to come more into Thomas Tuchel's thinking.
Smith's verdict
Smith, who also lifted two League championships with Arsenal plus the FA Cup, League Cup and European Cup-Winners' Cup, netting 115 goals in 351 games, said: "I thought actually Jarrad might get a bit more game time for England."
Speaking courtesy of BestBettingSites.co.uk, the 63-year-old added: "He just came on as a sub. Jarell Quansah and Trevoh Chalobah both started."
"But listen, if Branthwaite continues like that next to James Tarkowski, I think he's got a great chance of becoming maybe one of the first reserves. It looks like Ezri Konsa and Marc Guehi are settled first choices at the moment."
"But Jarrad has had a great start to the season. I really like him as a player, as a defender, and he might be able to leapfrog Quansah and Chalobah if he carries on like this."
