The Cumbrian debut made his first appearance of the season in the Toffees’ 1-1 draw with Leeds United.
Former Carlisle United defender Branthwaite had been sidelined since the summer with a hamstring injury.
His welcome return came as a half-time substitute for Everton in Monday’s game at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Branthwaite in the foreground as Everton equalise against Leeds (Image: PA)
Branthwaite, 23, came on at a time David Moyes’ side were trailing 1-0 to James Justin’s 28th-minute Leeds goal.
Great to see you back out there, Jarrad. 💙 pic.twitter.com/zxQG0pSejp
— Everton (@Everton) January 26, 2026
After the break they fought back to equalise through Thierno Barry.
Branthwaite put in a composed performance in his first Premier League outing since Everton’s 2-0 win against Southampton last season on May 18.
Afterwards he posted on Instagram that he was “So happy to be back. Been a long road. We keep pushing.”
The Cumbrian will now hope to build on his return to action.
Branthwaite will now target his first start of the season, with tenth-placed Everton next in action at Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday.
He will also hope to push his way back into international contention, injury meaning he has been unable to catch England boss Thomas Tuchel’s eye in recent months.
The Cumbrian will aim to make a late run into Tuchel’s World Cup squad, with the Three Lions set to face Uruguay and Japan in March before this summer’s tournament in the USA, Canada and Mexico.