Manchester United target Jarrad Branthwaite was supremely impressive in Everton’s 3-0 trouncing of Newcastle.
Last Saturday, Manchester United were outclassed and outworked by Newcastle United in what many labelled as the worst performance of the season.
It was devoid of any effort or passion and Newcastle probably could’ve ended up winning by a huge margin if they’d taken their chances.
However, against that very same opponent on Thursday night, Everton managed a thumping 3-0 victory which saw them depart the relegation zone.
In that victory, while the likes of Dwight McNeil and Dominic Calvert-Lewin took the plaudits, it was Jarrad Branthwaite who ensured victory.
Jarrad Branthwaite impresses against Newcastle
Manchester United are well known to be in the market for a centre-half and after Thursday night, they could be inclined to look no further than Goodison Park’s Branthwaite.
Brathwaite was an immoveable force for The Toffees as they triumphed over the Magpies with his SofaScore rating of 7.6 not quite doing him justice.
The most eye-catching stat from the game was the fact he won 100% of his eight duels attempted. This included six aerially which demonstrated the aerial dominance he has which United could benefit from on the left-side of the pairing.
The England U21 defender made seven clearances along with an interceptiona and tackle as he held Newcastle to a clean sheet.
His brilliance didn’t stop there though as he created one big chance amid having just 48-touches of the ball. This is expected given Everton were set up to defend.
A sublime display which only strengthens the argument for Sir Jim Ratcliffe to bring him in upon the completion of his 25% takeover.
Will Manchester United sign Jarrad Branthwaite?
It has been suggested that Sir Jim will look to go down the route of signing homegrown players once he seizes control of the football operations at Old Trafford.
Further, it certainly seems from what we have seen reported that if any position is priority, it’s almost certainly centre-back. United have struggled here with injuries and options being poor and now Raphael Varane seems on his way out of the club.
These two factors seem to indicate that Branthwaite stands a very good chance at being among the top targets at the very least to be the next signing in at United.
Brathwaite recently signed a new contract with Everton however given their financial issues, he is likely still a sellable asset. With a market value of £25.7 million according to CIES, he could be a bargain for United.
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