Alex Iwobi sends one-word to Jarrad Branthwaite after his England U21 performance yesterday

Everton star Alex Iwobi was impressed with club teammate Jarrad Branthwaite after his performance for England’s under-21s yesterday.

The young defender took to Instagram to celebrate the Young Lions finishing the group stages with a 100% winning record.

Jarrad Branthwaite came into the tournament off the back of an impressive season on loan at PSV Eindhoven.

The 21-year-old was a key part of Ruud van Nistelrooy’s squad as they won the Dutch Cup and finished above Ajax in the league.

Branthwaite is expected to be part of manager Sean Dyche’s plans heading into next season.

The likelihood is he’ll return to pre-season later than his teammates due to his involvement with the England under-21 squad.

Branthwaite made his competitive debut yesterday for England and Alex Iwobi was one of many players impressed with what he saw.

The Young Lions defeated Germany 2-0 and progressed as group winners, with Germany exiting the competition.

Branthwaite and his international colleagues are now just three games away from lifting the trophy.

Iwobi praises Branthwaite after England performance

The 21-year-old took to Instagram after the match and said: “Debut. Clean sheet. Into the next round.”

Club and international teammate James Garner replied and simply said: “Solid.”

While Alex Iwobi called Branthwaite a “Playa” after keeping a clean sheet yesterday.

A space in Everton’s senior squad might have already opened up for Branthwaite this summer.

Conor Coady returned to Wolves after his loan spell and looks set to join Leicester City.

Yerry Mina also left the club on a free transfer after playing his part in keeping Everton in the Premier League.

This means Branthwaite could line up with the likes of Iwobi at Everton after finishing his international duty with England.

He would make a great partner for James Tarkowski, although Dyche may want to bring in a more experienced defender this summer.

The youngster should have done enough to earn a spot in the squad, especially with his PSV teammates joking they didn’t want him to leave.

Right now, his focus will be fully on what’s going on in Romania and Georgia with the Young Lions.