Premier League action is taking a break for three weeks due to international duty, with Everton having a host of players linking up with their countries.
Unlike the World Cup, Everton have a number of players jetting off on international duty for the next few weeks.
During the World Cup, Everton only had four players at the tournament, and only one of them remains with the Toffees for this season. Nathan Patterson, Iliman Ndiaye, Idrissa Gueye were all at the tournament and have now departed, while Jordan Pickford was representing England.
The international breaks can often be a nice, quiet period for Evertonians, especially when the Toffees are struggling. At the moment, Everton are unbeaten in all competitions, so it might be a little bit disappointing to have a break for the next few weeks.
Supporters and the club will be sweating over the fitness of some of their key stars, especially those who have been carrying injuries of late anyway.
So let's take a look at those who will be representing their countries over the coming weeks.
Everton’s internationals
England: Jordan Pickford, Jarrad Branthwaite, James Garner
Wales: Tom King, Brennan Johnson
Republic of Ireland: Jake O’Brien
Ukraine: Vitalii Mykolenko
Northern Ireland: Braiden Graham
England U21s: Tyler Dibling, Tyrique George
England U20s: Harrison Armstrong
Northern Ireland U20s: Fraser Barnsley, Jack Patterson
Wales U19s: Luis Gardner
Wales U18s: Dafi-Tomos Pemberton
Scotland U17s: Kai Hutchinson
This Thursday, Johnson and King travel to Portugal in the Nations League, while O’Brien’s Ireland will head to Kosovo.
All of the England youth lads will be playing on Friday 25th, with Armstrong’s U20S facing Italy, while Dibling and George host Kazakhstan. Mykolenko will also be in action against Hungary, while Graham will hopefully get a run out against Georgia.
England’s first game comes on Saturday against Spain, where Garner, Branthwaite, and Pickford could be in action. Branthwaite and Pickford were both initially named in Thomas Tuchel’s squad, but Garner was added in later after some of the England players were withdrawn due to injury.
Over the coming weeks, we’ll be looking to keep you up to date with how some of the lads have been getting on, with there being little to talk about from an Everton perspective during the break.
It’s a real opportunity for players like George and Dibling to continue some momentum, particularly the latter, who was just starting to click into gear for Everton.
It’s also hopefully a chance for someone like Johnson to gain a bit of confidence after a slow start with the Toffees, and hopefully he can play some regular minutes for his country.
