
Manchester United target Jarrod Branthwaite had a good outing for Everton during their 2-0 Premier League defeat to Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.
The Red Devils are expected to pursue a new centre-back in the summer. It has been reported that Branthwaite is one of the top names on their wishlist.
The 21-year-old has improved leaps and bounds over the past 18 months. He had another impressive showing against the reigning Premier League champions.
Branthwaite had a productive opening half at the Etihad Stadium where he won 100 per cent of his ground duels and nullified the presence of Erling Haaland.
The second half, however, was a mixed bag for the youngster. His attempted clearance in the 71st minute took a deflection off Nathan Ake before Haaland opened the scoring.
Five minutes from time, Branthwaite was outmuscled by Haaland in a one-on-one situation on the counter-attack. The Norwegian put the game to bed with his second goal.
Despite this, the Toffees graduate was one of the club’s best performers on the road. He won six out of his eight ground duels alongside four of his five attempted tackles.
The left-footed centre-back also made five key clearances over 90 minutes. He had one bad moment versus Haaland, but that has happened to some of the best in the league.
In our view, the £75 million-rated star had a good game despite the incident. He showed impressive composure and intelligent positioning in the box against the Cityzens.
With Lisandro Martinez’s injury record, United may want a new left-footed centre-back in the squad and we believe Branthwaite would be a superb acquisition ahead of next season.
The young Englishman is also capable of playing from the right centre-back role. He could also line up alongside Martinez. It is left to be seen whether United pursue his services.
Stats from Sofascore.com & WhoScored.com
