Jarrad Branthwaite inches closer to a Manchester United move as the Everton defender previously revealed the impact a Red Devils legend had on his footballing journey
Manchester United transfer target Jarrad Branthwaite opened up about the impact Ruud Van Nistelrooy had on his rise to the top level of football.
The Everton defender played a starring role in the club's fight against relegation last season, culminating in him being called up for England earlier this year. Many were surprised that he did not go with the Three Lions to the Euros this summer.
His impressive performances have not gone unnoticed by the rest of the Premier League, either. United reportedly agreed terms with the 21-year-old earlier this week but subsequently had a £43million bid rejected by the Toffees.
Branthwaite's debut campaign as a first-choice centre-back at Goodison Park came off the back of a loan spell with PSV Eindhoven, where he made 36 appearances across all competitions that ended with the defender winning the KNVB Cup.
He played under then-PSV boss and United icon Ruud Van Nistelrooy during his time in the Netherlands. And he previously revealed just how important the Dutchman was in his footballing journey. "He was brilliant for me," the Wigton native said last year.
"At the midpoint in the season, I hadn't played as much as I would have liked. I had a clause in my contract where I could have come back here [to Everton] and, having hardly played, I said I wasn't not sure what I was going to do.
"He sat me down for half an hour and said I was going to play every game in the second half of the season. At the time, I was like, 'You can say that, but how am I meant to believe you?' We were on a winter break, I was on holiday, and he kept ringing me every day, saying, 'Trust me, you are going to play.'"
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Despite Van Nistelrooy's reputation as one of the deadliest strikers of his generation, he offered up sound defensive advice to Branthwaite which put him in good stead in the Premier League last season.
"He would speak to me about my body shape when defending and the importance of being side on, so that I am always ready to run back or be ready to press forward.
"He said if you don't have the right body shape, you will get done because the Premier League is much faster. If they play it in behind and you are not side on, the striker will already be gone."
Van Nistelrooy could join Branthwaite in the Premier League soon, having been linked to the vacant manager's job at Leicester City earlier this summer.
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