Jarrad Branthwaite was left out of the Everton squad for Tuesday’s pre-season friendly at Stoke, but the club say it is a planned part of his return from injury rather than a fresh setback.
The centre-back played the first half of last Saturday’s game at Bolton Wanderers before being withdrawn as a precaution.
The club confirmed in a statement that his absence against Stoke follows the same plan, with training at Finch Farm to continue this week ahead of involvement against Hamburger SV at the weekend.
Branthwaite’s 2025/26 season was badly disrupted by injury, limiting him to just 10 Premier League appearances after a hamstring problem that required surgery.
He had been one of Everton’s most important defenders the previous season, making 30 league appearances and ranking second only to James Tarkowski for ‘blocks’ in the division.
Hayden Hackney and Tyler Dibling also missed the Bolton game as they nursed their own knocks, with Hackney making his belated Everton debut against Stoke.
Getting Branthwaite through pre-season without a further setback is a priority for David Moyes, with the defender central to Everton’s plans for the season ahead.
Everton’s pre-season fixtures and squad news can be followed on our Everton news pages, updated throughout the summer.
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