The season has not been good for Manchester United, and the manager and players are under growing pressure.

After 20 games, Erik ten Hag’s team is ranked seventh in the Premier League, although they have only scored 22 goals and have already suffered nine losses, exactly like they did the season before.

Top scorers in the Premier League

Club

nationality

Objectives

Erling Haaland

City of Manchester

Norway

14

Mohamed Salah

Liverpool

Egypt

14

Dominic Solanke

Bournemouth

England

12

Son Heung-min

Tottenham

Korea, S.

12

Bowen, Jarrod

West Ham

England

11

Hee-chan Hwang

wolves

Korea, S.

10

Isak Alexander

Newcastle

Sweden

9.

Ollie Watkins

Aston Villa

England

9.

Palmer Cole

Chelsea

England

8

Jackson, Nicolas

Chelsea

Senegal

7.

Keeping that in mind, United will try to strengthen their team in January in an effort to guarantee European football the following season.

Most recent Man Utd transfer: Jarrad Branthwaite

The Daily Mail claims that Man United has noticed Jarrad Branthwaite, an Everton star.

The teenage defender has drawn a lot of attention in the Premier League this season, so they could have to compete with Real Madrid, the dominant team in Spain, to sign him.

Ten Hag and Sir Jim Ratcliffe are not going to be happy with Everton’s £100 million asking price for their talented center-back, according to earlier reports.

Financial fair play regulations will probably prevent the Red Devils from signing him in January because of this.

First Premier League Trophy
What Raphael Varane would gain from this action

Without a question, Raphael Varane is the top choice at right center-back when healthy, but since coming to Manchester, his main problem has been availability.

The World Cup winner has missed five games so far this season due to ailments that have plagued him over the past few years.

Given this and the fact that his contract expires in the summer, United may try to cash in on the former Real Madrid player in order to finance further acquisitions; however, Varane’s time at the club would come to an end if Branthwaite is signed.

Still, how does Branthwaite’s profile appear in light of the 2023–24 Premier League season and the 2022–23 Eredivisie season’s statistics? All right, that’s really amazing.

Branthwaite’s Figures

Statistics (per 90)

Everton

PSV

Attacks

Two dollars

1.04

Dribblers Engaged

1.29

0.63

Interceptions

1.76

1.63

Ball retrievals

6.76

6.64

Feels

50.53

68.45

completed passes

30.76

50.87

% of passes completed (long)

46.9% / 79.1%

71.2 percent, or 86.9%

Statistics through FBref

Even though he was left-footed, Branthwaite shown at PSV that he could play as the right centre half with total ease.

The England U21 player has an impressive 86.9% pass success rate in the Netherlands, demonstrating how at ease he is with the ball at his feet. He also has a long passing range, which frequently makes him press-resistant and helps the team hold onto the ball.

But he can also play long, accurate passes, which would be especially beneficial for Marcus Rashford. Because Everton is a team that rarely dominates possession, all of the aforementioned has primarily been seen at PSV.

However, this season at Everton has given Branthwaite the chance to demonstrate his defensive prowess; Football Talent Scout Jacek Kulig has called him a “absolute wall.”

The 21-year-old’s distinctive profile enables him to defend 1v1 situations in the channels and go physical with opponents when needed. This is demonstrated by the defender’s tackling statistics, which also happen to be Varane’s weak point. According to statistics from the previous year across Europe, he ranks in the bottom 98% for dribblers tackled and the bottom 91% for tackles among center-backs.

Significantly, as seen by his interceptions and ball recoveries statistics, Branthwaite is a proactive defender who has excellent game awareness and is constantly one step ahead of the opposition. Additionally low on the list above is the United number 19, coming in at 0.77 and 5.77, respectively.

It is obvious that bringing in the Everton player would improve United’s defence for years to come in addition to being an instant upgrade over Varane. Even at just 21, he possesses the maturity of a seasoned professional, thus the Red Devils will need to outbid the opposition to sign him.