'He just needs to...' - Pundit sends Branthwaite new £70m message ahead of Everton injury return

Richard Dunne has told Jarrad Branthwaite he has to focus on the basics at Everton, despite being worth £70million.

The England international was linked with a move away from Goodison Park throughout the summer, with the Toffees understood to value the 22-year-old somewhere in the region of £70million [James Ducker, 14 June].

Branthwaite has been limited to just one Premier League appearance so far this season through injury and TNT pundit Dunne has urged the Blues star to ignore that price tag when he returns to the fold.

As quoted by the Liverpool Echo on Wednesday (9 October) he said: “He needs to try and reach the consistency of last season. That is the important thing.

“You don’t need to, all of a sudden because you are worth £70million, think you need to dribble past five people. You have to do the basics right.

“He’s not going to score 15 goals, he’s not going to create a load of chances, he just needs to do his job. Keeping him focused on that is key.

“If he comes back into a team that is struggling he might feel he has a responsibility to be up and down. He doesn’t, he just needs to do his role and everything else will fit around him.”

Will Jarrad Branthwaite exit Everton amid Goodison Park speculation?

It is easy for some players to become distracted after transfer speculation, but so far Branthwaite appears to have been left unfazed by all the talk about his future during the summer transfer window.

The advantage that the Toffees centre-back has is that Sean Dyche will keep him grounded at Goodison Park. The Blues boss isn’t going to want to see the Englishman take unnecessary risks and will therefore ensure that he gets the basics right first.

What has made Branthwaite such a refreshing presence at the back for the Toffees is the fact that he isn’t afraid to do the dirty work before he shows his ability on the ball. If he wasn’t good without the ball, he wouldn’t be starting as a defender in Dyche’s system.

Hopefully, the 22-year-old will hit the ground running after the international break and put together a run of games without injury.

Everton are a much better side when he’s playing week in and week out and they cannot afford to see him sidelined any longer.

In other Everton news, the Toffees are eyeing a deal for Silas as Dyche looks to bolster his attacking options in January

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