Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite has expressed his gratitude to manager Sean Dyche for “always believing” in him, as the 21-year-old gears up to potentially make his senior England debut this weekend. 

Branthwaite was included in his first Three Lions squad by Gareth Southgate last week, and met up with his new national teammates on Tuesday morning ahead of two friendly fixtures against Brazil (Saturday 23 March) and Belgium (Tuesday 26 March).

The defender’s inclusion comes as just reward for a fine campaign so far where he’s established himself in the heart of an Everton defence which boasts the joint fourth-best defensive record in the Premier League. 

Now on the cusp of potentially making his maiden senior England appearance, Branthwaite believes Blues boss Dyche has played a key role in his rapid progression since returning to Everton last summer from a season-long loan at Dutch giants PSV Eindhoven.

“If you said to me at the start of the season I’d come back and play this many games I probably wouldn’t have believed you,” said Branthwaite. “If you said at the start of the season I’d be in the England squad I wouldn’t have believed you. It shows the progression I’ve made over the last season.

“For any young player to play in the Premier League, you’ve got to be patient. The standard’s so high. Some managers won’t necessarily want to put a young player into that situation. It’s just whenever I got an opportunity, I thought I had to take it. 

“He (Dyche) is good. He’s believed in me since the start of the season. I’ve been in the team ever since so I can only thank him for the opportunity he’s given me this season. He’s a very hands-off manager who lets you learn the game and if he thinks any pointers need to be given he’ll tell me.”

Branthwaite also wanted to put across his appreciation to key Everton influences such as goalkeeper Jordan Pickford - also selected for this month’s England squad - and central defensive partner James Tarkowski, who have proven pivotal mentors throughout the campaign. 

“I’ve got experienced players around me," added Branthwaite. "Jordan has played for his country and so many times in the Premier League. He’s very vocal. He tells you what to do and where to be. As a defender, that makes your job easier. I’ve then got Tarkowski next to me as well. 

“I have leaders around me and they’ve helped me through games.”

Branthwaite arrived on Merseyside just over four years ago in January 2020, having joined from boyhood club Carlisle United.

He initially started with the Club’s Under-21s but was quickly integrated with the Men’s Senior Team for training and made his Premier League debut as a second-half substitute against Wolverhampton Wanderers in July 2020. 

Reflecting on his journey, the defender said: “I was at Carlisle since I was nine years of age, and I broke into the first team when I was 16. To play that level when I was there was a privilege for me because it's my home club and it gave me the desire to want it even more, and then once I signed for Everton, it was just about progressing, learning every day and seeing where it was taking me.”

He made a further eight Everton appearances before joining Blackburn Rovers on loan in January 2021, starting 10 Championship matches before sustaining an ankle injury that prematurely curtailed his Ewood Park stay.

The defender returned to Goodison Park for the start of the 2021/22 season and made eight appearances across all competitions, experiencing highs like scoring his first Everton goal in a 1-1 draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, but also lows such as being shown a red card in a crucial Goodison Park clash against Brentford.

The 2022/23 season saw Branthwaite make a loan move to PSV, where he hugely impressed, making 37 appearances, which included 27 in the Eredivisie, as well as three in the UEFA Europa League, and two in UEFA Champions League qualifiers. 

All of that provided Branthwaite with the perfect platform in which to push on back with the Blues this season. 

“I think for anyone moving abroad at any age is going to be difficult - new language, new faces,” he explained. “I moved over there on my own. I was 20 at the time and you have to learn on your own, and stand on your own two feet. There’s nobody else to help you. I took all those life lessons and all the experience of playing and brought it back. 

“For me, the learning curve was the Brentford game where I got sent off. That made me realise the standard we were playing at. That’s when I went on loan and developed.

“I think I only played 15 games in League Two, so it was a big step up [signing for Everton]. I went and sat down with Everton, and the pathway they were given me seemed perfect, and it's worked out well since I've been there.”