The Everton players have returned to Finch Farm to get their season efforts underway ahead of the 2026/27 season starting next month.
It feels like only yesterday when the 2025/26 season came to an end and the Toffees are already back to get ready for the next term.
David Moyes has welcomed back a good number of his Everton players at Finch Farm, with a handful still absent due to their World Cup commitments.
Jordan Pickford is naturally going to be out for some time longer due to England going deep into the tournament.
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However, the return of Jarrad Branthwaite will be a big positive for Evertonians following what was undoubtedly a frustrating 2025/26 campaign for the centre-back.
Branthwaite was one of the players who was back for the first day of pre-season on Friday, with Everton News noticing some interesting things about his return.
Jarrad Branthwaite returns to the grass in Everton training
Injury kept Branthwaite out for a lot of last season, with his campaign being cut short again in the Merseyside Derby.
Branthwaite travelled to Germany to undergo specialist rehabilitation after avoiding yet another procedure on his hamstring.
It appears the work over in Munich at the MYOS clinic has worked wonders as Branthwaite was one of the players who was filmed on the grass on Everton’s YouTube footage.
This marks a real positive for Moyes, with Branthwaite seemingly ready to go from day one of pre-season.
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There will naturally have been concerns that the 24-year-old may not have been ready until later on in the summer, but that is not the case.
Unlike last year, Branthwaite should now benefit from a full pre-season programme.
Everton will have everything crossed that the defender does not suffer any setbacks over the coming weeks.
Branthwaite’s new Everton squad number
Everton’s number 32 appears to be no more.
The footage shared by the club on Friday showed Branthwaite – as well as the other players – having their photographs taken in the new 2026/27 training wear.
Any eagle-eyed Everton supporters may have noticed that Branthwaite’s training t-shirt did not have the number 32 printed on it.
Instead, the defender was wearing the number four.
The last player to wear the number four for Everton was former centre-back Mason Holgate in the 2024/25 season.
Alan Stubbs is another former-occupier of the number four shirt on Merseyside.
Although the squad numbers have not been made public just yet, this is something to keep an eye on if you are someone who is considering having Branthwaite printed on the back of your 2026/27 shirt.
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