Lee Carsley believes Jarrad Branthwaite can ‘put himself in the picture’ for England’s senior squad.
The Everton defender was named in Carsley’s 24-man squad on Friday for his country’s European under-21 qualifiers with Turkey and Northern Ireland.
Fresh from the Young Lions’ success last summer, Branthwaite has cemented his place as an automatic starter for Sean Dyche’s side already this season.
That impressive form could see him handed a home outing against Northern Ireland when the Young Lions step out at Goodison Park on November 21.
But while Carsley admits the 21-year-old faces competition in the European champions’ pecking order, he feels his club opportunities are fully deserved.
And the ex-Blues’ midfielder sees no reason why Branthwaite could not play his way into contention for Gareth Southgate’s senior ranks in due course.
“I think Jarrad’s got a lot of common sense,” said Carsley.
“When you’re watching the team play and you can see the players in your position are a really high level, Levi Colwill would be an example that Jarrad’s more than capable of playing in the team, like he showed against Germany.
“But the way Levi and Taylor Harwood-Bellis performed in that tournament, especially along with [goalkeeper] James Trafford, the team didn’t concede a goal.
“From a defender’s point of view, you’re not going to make a lot of changes.
“But the way that he trained every day, the way that he was around the environment, he deserves the chances that he’s getting now.
“Hopefully, he keeps playing well for Everton and the under-21s and puts himself in the picture of the senior [England] team.”