Former Everton winger Anthony Gordon shared a message to defender Jarrad Branthwaite after making his England debut on Monday night.
Preparations for this summer’s Euros saw Gareth Southgate’s side play Bosnia and Herzegovina at St. James’ Park.
A convincing win for the Three Lions also saw a number of players make their debuts, one of them being Everton‘s Jarrard Branthwaite.
After a solid season in the Everton defence, the 21-year-old has been rewarded with a spot in Southgate’s provisional squad ahead of the Euros.
The Everton youngster played a huge role in keeping Sean Dyche‘s men afloat in the Premier League this season at Goodison Park and was handed just under 30 minutes of action on Monday.
Having made his first appearance for the national senior side, Anthony Gordon had a message for his former teammate.
What Anthony Gordon had to say to Jarrad Branthwaite after his England debut
Everton already had one representative on the pitch on Tyneside on Monday night in Jordan Pickford as England’s number one warmed up for the trip to Germany.
However, one player who is playing for his spot on the plane is the 21-year-old defender who came on as a second-half substitute.
Branthwaite made 35 appearances in the Premier League this season where he was able to also return three goals.
And his impressive displays on Merseyside have clearly caught the attention of clubs across the league with the likes of Manchester United showing an interest in Branthwaite this summer.
Following the game, Branthwaite took to his Instagram account to share a message on making his full England debut.
“England debut. Dream come true,” the 21-year-old defender very simply said after the game in Newcastle.
And one former Everton man shared a two-word response following the game as Gordon replied, ‘Congrats bro”.
Jarrad Branthwaite’s England debut in numbers
Marc Guehi and Lewis Dunk were given the nod from the start by Southgate with Branthwaite replacing the Crystal Palace man for the final half an hour.
However, despite it being a friendly, Branthwaite was able to earn himself a yellow card less than 15 minutes after coming on.
Here is a summary of Branthwaite’s England debut.
- 28 minutes played
- 1 interception
- 2/4 aerial duels won
- 22 touches
- 95% pass accuracy
- 1/1 long balls
Statistics via SofaScore.
Whether Branthwaite will be able to earn himself a spot on the plane will be another question, but either way it could be viewed as a positive for Everton.
If he doesn’t make the squad, then he will have a full summer to rest up and if he does, then he will earn himself some great experience at such a young age.