PSV aim to beat Man Utd and Liverpool to ‘great talent’ Branthwaite

Daniel Cabot Kerkdijk

• 9 Feb 2023 08:14 GMT
• 4 min read

Jarrad Branthwaite is growing an increasingly large fan club, with the Everton defender, who is on loan at PSV, attracting attention from Liverpool and Manchester United.

The 20-year-old was a standout for PSV on Wednesday in the KNVB Beker, scoring twice in a 3-1 victory against Emmen – his first double of his professional career.

After the match, head coach Ruud van Nistelrooy admitted that he has designs on his team beating his former club Man Utd to the player.

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Since the winter break, Branthwaite has been a regular starter player at PSV.

“In the five-week preparation he was fantastic and took his chance. I am satisfied with what he is showing,” Van Nistelrooy told De Telegraaf and the Eindhovens Dagblad .

“He is very complete, strong, fast and big. A great talent. He often clears any long balls that come in a well targeted manner. Then we are able to pick up the ball properly. And he's only in his early 20s, so there's still a lot of potential.

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“Jarrad is already busy with his fellow players, but he could speak to them with a little more authority. That can still improve, but by nature he is not a very extroverted boy.”

PSV sees a future in Branthwaite and wants to sign the defender, but Everton have so far held back.

“Hopefully he is one for us for the future. That's how we see him internally. We wiykd like to keep him here. I say that to the current, previous and future management”, Van Nistelrooy joked. “I see him as a key player for the future, just like Xavi Simons, Johan Bakayoko and Ismael Saibari.

“We didn't try to sign Jarrad in the winter break for the sake of it. A basic condition is that he enjoys himself and it helps that we achieve results.”

Branthwaite open to PSV stay

In any case, the Englishman himself is sympathetic to this.

“I'm having a good time, I'm very happy. I play and want to keep this up until the end of the season. Staying here longer is something I am definitely considering,” he admitted.

Everton are battling relegation from the Premier League this season. In the unlikely event that the club is relegated, Branthwaite may be an interesting player to count on at a level lower. The defender hopes that his current employer does not go down.

“They have a new manager in Sean Dyche, who knows how to get results. I only hear good things about the new manager from my former team-mates, so I have a good feeling that they can put on a good run in the second half of the season,” he said.

PSV does not have an option to buy in the loan and Branthwaite’s good performances make it less likely that he will still be in Eindhoven next season, with clubs looing to hijack any deal.

“That is why we made an attempt to get him in the winter break. Then we wouldn't have had that problem,” admits Van Nistelrooy.

According to the Eindhovens Dagblad , PSV saw an offer rejected by Everton in January, with the Toffees angling for €10 million for the player – around twice what the Dutch club was offering.

Liverpool and Man Utd are both linked with Branthwaite, with scouts from these clubs both spotted watching him in recent weeks.