I have spoken to Jarrad Branthwaite and Everton haven't seen anything yet

Jarrad Branthwaite took a huge step forward in his career by earning an England cap but the Everton defender could get even better

I have spoken to Jarrad Branthwaite and Everton haven't seen anything yet

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Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite has been called up to the England squad for the first time but just what has impressed you the most about the 21-year-old’s meteoric rise this season?

Members of the ECHO sportsdesk have their say…

Chris Beesley - It’s great to see Branthwaite’s almost effortless physicality enable him to come up trumps

There are so many aspects to Jarrad Branthwaite’s breakthrough season that impress but for me the most gratifying sight has been when he’s devoured some of the Premier League’s biggest and meanest centre-forwards. Having watched the raw lad from Carlisle a handful of times before his loan spell at PSV Eindhoven, it’s fair to say that Branthwaite did a lot of growing up during his season in the Netherlands and has returned a changed man.

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Not physically of course, the 6ft 5in stopper was already a big unit when he first arrived as a teenager but he’s now such a cool customer his centre-back partner James Tarkowski, who has been roughing up Premier League strikers for years, has observed that the rookie is already operating like a seasoned performer himself, showing maturity beyond his tender years. It’s great to see Branthwaite’s almost effortless physicality enable him to come up trumps though.

There was one moment in the first of Everton’s four successive wins in December at Nottingham Forest when Chris Wood, a battering ram up front who Blues boss Sean Dyche knows well from his time at Burnley, went toe-to-toe with Branthwaite. The New Zealander wouldn’t look out of place lining up alongside his compatriots in the All Blacks rugby team but man mountain Wood looked more like a gentle hill after he was left flailing on the turf in pain after tangling with Everton’s baby-faced assassin.

Joe Thomas - A future England captain

Having had the fortune to speak with Jarrad several times, it is his temperament that has impressed me most. I first saw him in that crazy home defeat to Brentford under Frank Lampard, when his naivety was clear as he was out-thought by Ivan Toney and sent off after his clumsy challenge (although I maintain play should have been pulled back for a penalty on Richarlison). He has clearly developed so much since then. For all his obvious talent he carries himself with such maturity on and off the pitch. The way he has handled the likes of Evan Ferguson, Chris Wood and, to an extent, Erling Haaland has been so impressive and I have not once seen him flustered.

Off the pitch he comes across well, a grounded personality who is honest in post-match interviews and appears to be becoming a leader in the dressing room. I remember speaking to him after the FA Cup draw at Crystal Palace in January, where he articulated the thoughts of his teammates after the sending off of Dominic Calvert-Lewin that was later overturned. He has a bright future ahead of him and I would not be surprised to see him wearing the captain's armband for England one day.

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