It's not healthy to dwell on the worst-case scenario. But if you've been an Everton fan over the past few seasons, you've grown comfortable enough to contemplate it.
Injuries are an ever-present challenge for every club. Everton, in the grand scheme of things, haven't been as hampered by them this season compared to previous years. Touch wood. Jarrad Branthwaite's absence, though, could open up a new can of worms.
Rose-tinted summer signing glasses
Wind back a few months, and Everton looked light at right-back, but fairly well covered in most areas of the pitch. Re-signing Michael Keane and bringing in Adam Aznou provided a decent yield. Nathan Patterson's departure on loan raised a few eyebrows, but overall, Everton needed to improve on the attacking front.
Aznou arrived from Bayern Munich to some fanfare, but his lack of playing time at Bayern Munich spoke volumes. His 13 appearances in La Liga resulted in 12 defeats, and at 19, he clearly isn't ready yet to make the step up to the Premier League.
The Toffees expected to be without Jarrad Branthwaite for a portion of the 2025/2026 season, but not for this long. His injury setback has left them without a natural centre-back option on the bench, albeit there's one staring them down the face at right-back in Jake O'Brien.
Who could Everton have brought in?
The glaring omission from the summer window was at right-back. Jake O'Brien had started to build the trust of David Moyes as a starter there, and Seamus Coleman provided the cover. We've already seen James Garner deployed there at times, but he's become too important to the midfield to act as right-back cover.
Kyle Walker was available on a free transfer. At 35, he's playing week-in, week-out for a struggling Burnley side. At one stage, it was reported he was on the move to Everton. Would he have provided decent cover? Absolutely.
Kieran Trippier is another name that comes to mind, and another name that was linked with Everton. Even the likes of Victor Lindelof and Ben Mee, to a lesser extent, were available on free transfers and could have provided adequate defensive cover when needed.
Could Everton have spent money on a replacement who pushed for first-team football? We spoke about Kyle Walker-Peters on the site over the summer. Tariq Lamptey was available at a nominal fee. Could we have lured an out-of-favour Ben Chilwell to the Hill Dickinson?
The worst-case scenario
If Michael Keane or James Tarkowski gets injured, there's a direct replacement. Jake O'Brien slots into centre-back, and one of Seamus Coleman or James Garner provides the right-back cover. If there's a further injury, then there are problems.
Coleman has played centrally in a back five before for his country. Could Tim Iroegbunam make the familiar defensive midfielder/centre-back swap? Could we be forced to recall Isaac Heath from loan at Accrington Stanley?
Getting down the 'worst-case scenario' rabbit hole does not bode well for Everton, no matter what way you look at it. Fans will hope for the best, and that David Moyes and the Friedkins can get the cheque book out in January.