Manchester United keen on Everton youngster Jarrad Branthwaite: Why Ancelotti must keep hold of him

Bengaluru, Feb 24: Manchester United are reportedly keeping a close eye on young Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite who is impressing while on loan at Blackburn Rovers this year.

A centre-half is said to be Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's priority ahead of next season and Branthwaite in addition to Sevilla's Jules Kounde is a name being discussed. The 18-year-old though is also attracting interests from rival Liverpool and Manchester City as well.

Branthwaite’s encouraging loan spell so far

The teenager came through the ranks at Carlisle United before signing for Everton in January 2020. He impressed in limited appearances last season but was sent out on loan to Blackburn Rovers for more regular minutes. The youngster has been playing regularly for the Rovers side since his January move, and he is seemingly being tracked by the Premier League’s big boys.

He has featured in seven league matches for his loan employers this term and averages an impressive 2.3 interceptions, 2.7 tackles and 1.4 clearances per game in the Championship. At 18, this opportunity to play regularly is definitely helping speed up his progress so far.

Playing Style

As a left-footed and 6ft 5in centre-half, Branthwaite ticks the boxes for many teams looking for a defender for the future. The youngster is pretty dominant in the air and is also not shy of clearing the danger by offering everything when required. But he is still raw and needs further development to prosper.

Contract situation

Branthwaite's current contract is set to expire in June 2022 and for that reason, the Premier League giants are luring around him to get him on a cut-price deal. Everton are yet to offer him an improved contract but it’s hard to see them let go of such a promising prospect to fellow rivals.

Why Everton should not lose him

Everton boss Carlo Ancelotti has a high opinion of the player and he does look like a good prospect. The youngster has the potential to develop into a future starter under Carlo Ancelotti’s stewardship and dethrone the likes of Michael Keane, or Yerri Mina. But first, the Merseysiders have to find a way to tie him down to a new long-term deal to fend off interest from other clubs in the summer.