Micah Richards shares whether he thinks Jarrad Branthwaite should be starting for England now

Add as preferred source on Google

Micah Richards has been profiling the upcoming England squad with Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer, with one Everton man catching their eye.

Jarrad Branthwaite has starred for Sean Dyche this season, and is rightly earning plaudits from many.

He is a composed colossus at the back and offers stability and security for a club that has been without such assets for nearly a decade now.

However, questions have arisen over his ability to translate this quality onto a larger stage, particularly at international level. The three pundits debated this just yesterday. 

What Micah Richards said about Jarrad Branthwaite

Speaking on The Rest is Football podcast, Lineker and Richards would discuss the state of play ahead of England’s upcoming European Championships this summer.

Whilst the latter had outlined centre-back and defensive midfield as the two positions of worry within Gareth Southgate’s squad, the former Barcelona man offered a rebuttal.

He noted: ‘I think the central defensive position has been an interesting one for quite some time, but you look now with the likes of Branthwaite, the likes of Colwill, Guehi obviously as well.’

Richards replied: ‘They’re just a little bit too early for them.’

But Lineker attested that, whilst he might be right, it marks an exciting future at last: ‘Yeah I know but it is encouraging because two years ago you’re going ‘Crikey where are the central defenders of the future?’ But I think every team is going to have that.’

There are few better options than the Everton man

If anyone was more deserving of an England call-up to start alongside John Stones, of all those available, arguably only James Tarkowski surpasses Branthwaite.

However, at 31 years old, it is widely recognised that despite his obvious talents his national team days may be behind him.

The 21-year-old, on the other hand, has the world at his feet and a bright future stretched out in front of him.

Of those that Lineker mentions, neither Levi Colwill nor Marc Guehi come close to the level that Branthwaite has reached this campaign, starring for a struggling Everton side, and remaining a defensive pillar that has upheld their remarkable solidity against all the odds.

After all, only the top three teams have conceded fewer goals than the Toffees, with the England U21 international a huge part of that.

His defensive figures exemplify why he deserves his spot in the senior national squad too, boasting a 79% pass accuracy alongside 1.7 interceptions, 4.3 clearances and 5.7 ball recoveries per game in the Premier League, via Sofascore.

For comparison, neither of those aforementioned names outrank Branthwaite in those defensive metrics, and whilst their pass accuracy may be higher, they operate in sides far more accustomed to playing out from the back.

Richards is dead wrong to assume that the young, left-footed ace is not ready to make the step up, with the ease with which he has taken to the English top flight a prime example. Hopefully Southgate can include him this summer and allow him to prove the former Manchester City man wrong.