Goodison View: 'Pathetic' Everton player in line to start v Newcastle as news emerges this week

Sean Dyche may have to begrudgingly pick Michael Keane as Everton take on Newcastle in the Premier League on 5 October.

The Toffees found their way out of the drop zone after beating Crystal Palace last weekend and things were looking bright for a change.

Jarrad Branthwaite also returned to action and that coincided with their first three points of the campaign.

However, the 22-year-old is now at risk of being fit for the game due to a quad injury, according to the Daily Mail’s Lewis Steele.

Steele wrote on X: “Believe Jarrad Branthwaite has suffered a fresh injury concern and is facing a battle to be fit for Everton’s clash against Newcastle on Saturday. Quad injury. Everton’s points per game since start of last season is 1.4 in games with him, 0.4 without.”

Michael Keane starting reduce the chances of Everton beating Newcastle

Starting Keane against Newcastle could significantly hinder Everton’s chances of victory due to his tendency for defensive errors and his performance struggles this season.

The 31-year-old, despite his experience, often seems prone to mistakes under pressure, which could be particularly costly against a team like Newcastle, known for exploiting defensive weaknesses.

His season has been marked by lapses in concentration and physical errors and was even called “pathetic” by Simon Jordan.

The talkSPORT host said: “I’m not sure there’s a lot [Ange Postecoglou] can do about Romero in that situation because he was weak. He was weak. Everything Gabriel was he wasn’t in a defensive capacity.

“A bit like Michael Keane was weak against Ollie Watkins for Everton when Aston Villa scored. Pathetic defending.”

Jordan Pickford is certainly going to have his work cut out as even he would’ve much rather had Branthwaite in front of him.

In other Everton news, adversarial measures may be on the cards with regards to the takeover amid a £200million development.

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