Man United monitor Everton youngster Branthwaite – report
Manchester United are weighing up a move for Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite with two other Premier League rivals also waiting in the wings.
That is according to the Daily Mail who say that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side are ‘monitoring’ the 18-year-old who is currently out on loan at Blackburn Rovers in the Championship.
He has only played seven times for the Lancashire side but has suitably impressed onlookers with his powerful presence adding a great deal of solidity to Rovers.
According to the Daily Mail, Manchester United are looking to bring in a future star in defence and Branthwaite fits the bill as they look to trim their existing options including Phil Jones.
They also report that Branthwaite is of interest to Liverpool and Manchester City due to him being left-footed.
It is said that Everton are ‘wary’ of the increased interest from top clubs but are looking to keep hold of a player they have high hopes for, particularly with Yerry Mina’s future at the club looking uncertain.
Times have changed
There would have been a time in the not-so-distant past that links from these sorts of clubs would send a shiver down the spine of every Blue.
Wayne Rooney’s move to Manchester United in 2004 was the most high-profile departure of a young player from Goodison Park while Jack Rodwell (2012) was another who swapped Merseyside for Manchester early in his Everton career as he linked up with City.
We’re not suggesting for a moment that Branthwaite has reached the levels that those players achieved so early on in their career but what has changed is our mindset in the market.
Back then we were always prone to the European elite swooping in to take advantage of our cash-strapped nature under Bill Kenwright and co but with Farhad Moshiri’s riches we do not need to look over our shoulders anymore.
Centre-back is not an area that we lack options in with Mina, Michael Keane, Ben Godfrey and Mason Holgate all lining up there for the Blues this season, but in Branthwaite we may just have found a future star.
We have visions of him and Godfrey repelling all in front of them at Goodison Park in the next few years and for that reason we must resist any advances for him.
In other Everton news, see our view on how the Blues may have solved their DCL issue.