When asked about Jake O’Brien’s bid for Everton, Sean Dyche defends Michael Keane.

Sean Dyche said great things about Michael Keane and said the center back played even though he was hurt to help Everton beat Leicester City.

The Blues got a good point at the King Power Stadium, even though the weather was terrible. Both teams were under a lot of pressure because they had bad starts to the season. For the first hour, Everton was by far the better team. But after the hosts came back with Stephy Mavididi, they were almost run out of the game.

After that draw, Everton has had a string of better success. They beat Crystal Palace and then tied with Newcastle United. Dyche will hope that his team stays in good shape as they play Ipswich Town, Fulham, and Southampton after the international break.

It’s unclear if Jarrad Branthwaite, who has only played once this season against Crystal Palace, will be able to play at Portman Road, but Dyche has been very complimentary of Keane, who has filled in for him, and he may be chosen again if Branthwaite can’t play on Saturday because of a quad injury.

He also said that Keane played with a dead leg against Leicester because he wanted to stay available during a defensive crisis. James Tarkowski, Keane’s partner at center back, has also played through illness. It’s not the first time Keane has played even though he wasn’t feeling well when Everton coaches told him to. He started the big loss to Tottenham Hotspur when Frank Lampard was in charge, even though he was sick.

Concerning his importance to the team this season, Dyche said, “I know he’s had his doubters, but I think he did well in preseason and I think he’s done well in general this season.”

“He realises there is tough competition. He’s a well-rounded worker. He knows this because he looked at Jarrad and Tarkowski’s play last season, as well as the back five as a whole (including Jordan Pickford).

That being said, he did show up and say, “Well, I’m ready to play when I’m called upon.”

“He seldom misses a workout.” He did great at Leicester even though he was playing with a dead leg. It might have kept other players out, but he didn’t complain or make an excuse. He just said, “I’m ready, I want to play.”

“He continues to be the right pro that he is, which is a great one.” However, he is aware that there is a task, since Jake O’Brien is also joining.

“Jake is working out well. It’s helpful to have. We want to compete. It’s hard here because we don’t have a lot of people. But they do want competition, which is good for them.