Man City and Man Utd target backed to make England impact as Gareth Southgate assesses Everton duo

Everton defender James Tarkowski has backed his teammate Jarrad Branthwaite to make the England squad in the near future.

Branthwaite, 21, has been a revelation since arriving back at the club this summer following a successful loan spell at PSV Eindhoven last season. He and Tarkowski have formed a strong partnership at the heart of Sean Dyche's defence and have played every game together since Wolves in August.

The pair will be split up for the first time since then this weekend as Branthwaite is forced to sit out due to suspension, but they have been key to Everton's revival this season. The youngster's form is starting to catch the eye of other Premier League clubs, with Tottenham, Manchester United and City all being linked with a move in recent months and he may even be able to graduate England's senior set-up in due time.

According to Tarkowski, Branthwaite would 'comfortably' make the move up to Gareth Southgate's squad should he get the call. Speaking to TalkSPORT, he replied 'Comfortably!' when asked by Jeff Stelling whether his defensive partner could make the step up to the England squad.

‘It wouldn’t surprise me if it happened sooner, rather than later. You see him play and he’s got everything, everything you need. He’s playing with an experienced head already at such a young age, so it wouldn’t surprise me in the coming months or years that he’s in that squad."

As it stands, Branthwaite is very much a key figure for England's U21 side having captained them at Goodison Park in the last international break. Plus, Southgate was at Goodison to see Branthwaite perform admirably against Chelsea as Dyche's side ran out comfortable 2-0 winners on the day.

What has been most surprising is how incredible well he has dealt with the quality of Premier League attackers; prior to the his loan move at PSV, he had just 14 appearances for Carlisle, 10 for Blackburn and 13 for Everton. But that hasn't stopped him making an instant impact.

According to the Daily Mail, Southgate is keeping a watchful eye on Everton duo Branthwaite and Dominic Calvert-Lewin ahead of Euro 2024, amid their impressive performances for Dyche's side. Branthwaite's profile as a left-footed centre-back is unique as he competes with Harry Maguire, Levi Colwill and Marc Guehi, but his lack of experience could see him miss out.

In terms of Calvert-Lewin, he has four goals this season and boasts a strong record of four goals in 11 games under Southgate, who gave him his debut in 2020. He was also a part of the Euro 2020 squad after his dazzling form under former manager Carlo Ancelotti and he would be battling it out with Callum Wilson, Ivan Toney and Ollie Watkins for his place.