David Moyes at his pre-match press conference to preview Everton's game with Tottenham Hotspur

David Moyes has refused to put a timescale on Jarrad Branthwaite’s recovery time. And the Everton manager has gone into detail about the nature of Nathan Patterson’s double injury.

Branthwaite has yet to kick a ball in the 2025-26 campaign so far after a stop-start pre-season saw him feature at Accrington Stanley and Blackburn Rovers, miss the USA trip for the Premier League Summer Series and then return for the inaugural first-team match in front of fans at Hill Dickinson Stadium against Roma, only to break down again.

On Monday, just days after he had been on the cusp of a comeback, Everton announced that the England international had experienced a complication in his recovery from a hamstring injury and following specialist consultation, it had been determined he would undergo a surgical procedure the next day before commencing a structured rehabilitation programme under the supervision of the club’s medical team after his operation.