Manchester United's season has been far from ideal, with pressure increasing on the players and the boss.
Erik ten Hag’s side are eighth in the Premier League after 20 games, but they have already lost the same number as they did last season (9) and have only scored 22 goals.
Erling Haaland
Manchester City
Norway
14
Mohamed Salah
Liverpool
Egypt
14
Dominic Solanke
Bournemouth
England
12
Son Heung-min
Tottenham
South Korea
12
Jarrod Bowen
West Ham
England
11
Hwang Hee-chan
Wolves
South Korea
10
Alexander Isak
Newcastle
Sweden
9
Ollie Watkins
Aston Villa
England
9
Cole Palmer
Chelsea
England
8
Nicolas Jackson
Chelsea
Senegal
7
With that in mind, United will look to improve their side in January in an attempt to secure European football next year.
Man Utd transfers latest – Jarrad Branthwaite
According to the Daily Mail, Man United have taken note of Everton star Jarrad Branthwaite.
However, they may have to battle against Spanish giant Real Madrid for the signature of the young defender, who has caught the eye a great deal in the Premier League this term.
According to prior reports, Everton have set a £100m asking price for their young centre-back; not great news for Ten Hag and Sir Jim Ratcliffe at all.
Indeed, this will likely price the Red Devils out of his signature this January due to financial fair play guidelines.
All confirmed Premier League done deals: January transfer window 2024
With the January transfer window coming towards its conclusion, FFC has all the info for tracking your club’s winter transfer activity.
ByLuke Randall What this move would mean for Raphael Varane
There’s no doubt that when Raphael Varane is fit, he is the first-choice defender at right centre-back, however, availability has been his biggest issue since moving to Manchester.
The World Cup winner has been plagued by injuries over the last few years, and he has already missed five games this campaign.
With that in mind and his contract running out in the summer, United could look to cash in on the former Real Madrid man to fund future transfers, with the potential signing of Branthwaite ultimately ending Varane’s United career.
Nonetheless, what does Branthwaite’s profile look like based on statistics from the 2023/24 Premier League campaign and the 2022/23 Eredivisie season? Well, pretty impressive.
Tackles
2.00
1.04
Dribblers Tackled
1.29
0.63
Interceptions
1.76
1.63
Ball recoveries
6.76
6.64
Touches
50.53
68.45
Passes completed
30.76
50.87
Pass completion % (long)
79.1% (46.9%)
86.9% (71.2%)
Despite being left-footed, during his time at PSV, Branthwaite showed his ability to play as the right centre half with complete ease.
The England U21 star is extremely comfortable with the ball at his feet, as evidenced by an 86.9% pass success in the Netherlands, and he possesses a vast passing range too, which often makes him press-resistant and allows the team to retain the ball.
However, he is capable of playing long, accurate passes, which would allow Marcus Rashford to thrive in particular. All the above has been mainly displayed at PSV, due to Everton being a side that rarely dominates possession.
On the other hand, this campaign at Everton has allowed Branthwaite to showcase his defensive quality, where he has been praised for being an “absolute wall” by Football Talent Scout Jacek Kulig.
The 21-year-old has a unique profile that allows him to get tight to defenders using his physicality while also being comfortable defending 1v1 situations in the channels. This is highlighted by the defender's tackling statistics, which coincidentally is where Varane struggles, as he ranks in the bottom 98% for dribblers tackled and the bottom 91% among centre-backs for tackles based on statistics from the last year throughout Europe.
Importantly, Branthwaite is a proactive defender who reads the game well and is always one step ahead of the attacker, as shown by the interceptions and ball recoveries statistics. The United number 19 also ranks low for the above, at 0.77 and 5.77, respectively.
It is clear that signing the Everton star would not only be an instant upgrade on Varane, but he would be at the heart of the United defence for years to come. Despite being just 21, he has the maturity of an experienced professional, and the Red Devils must look to beat the competition to his signature.