One of David Moyes’ most consistent performers may now struggle for minutes at Everton

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Everton have enjoyed a good first half of the season, with the club still hopeful of securing European football.

David Moyes has guided the Toffees to 10th place in the Premier League, but Everton are only four points off fourth place.

Everton’s big win over Aston Villa at the weekend keeps the team in contention, and fans want to see a big push in the second half of the campaign.

One of the main reasons for Everton’s promising start is that the team have been defensively sound.

That’s been a recurring theme in recent years, but up to now in the Premier League Everton have kept nine clean sheets – David Raya has more clean sheets than Jordan Pickford up to now.

One man who’s really played his part is Michael Keane – but his second half of the season could be radically different.

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Keane has made 19 appearances in the Premier League so far this term – and the 33-year-old has been impressive.

Not only has the Englishman been rock-solid, but he’s also been a threat at the other end of the pitch, scoring three goals.

He ranks as the fifth best Everton player this season (with a rating of 7.01) according to WhoScored, which suggests just how consistent he’s been.

Without doubt, he’s played a key role in helping Everton to become defensively stable and pick up points in the Premier League.

But the second half of the season could look very different for Keane due to a couple of factors.

Jarrad Branthwaite has now returned to full training at Everton, and could be available as early as the next game against Leeds United on Monday.

Of course, he’s been injured all season, but Branthwaite is widely regarded as Everton’s best centre-back, and one would think it won’t be long until he’s back in the backline.

Unfortunately for Keane, his red card against Wolves meant a three-game suspension. So he’s still serving a ban and can’t face Leeds to further his case to be a starter.

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Jake O’Brien is another potential barrier for Keane

As well as Branthwaite returning, Keane will also face competition from Jake O’Brien, who was outstanding next to James Tarkowski against Villa.

O’Brien has played in the middle a handful of times this season, and always looked impressive. Certainly, the position comes far more naturally to him than right-back.

In a further blow to Keane, Nathan Patterson has been resurgent in recent weeks and may well be a genuine option to start regularly at right-back, allowing O’Brien to play in the middle.

Of course, there could be injuries and suspensions that could create opportunities for Keane.

But despite his great season so far, his minutes will surely now dip – and that’s not ideal if he’s hoping to extend his contract.