Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite subject to interest from Manchester United in the summer
Sean Dyche believes Everton will see even more from centre back Jarrad Branthwaite as his fitness improves.
The 22-year-old, whose breakthrough Premier League season last year led to a senior England debut, has struggled for momentum after an operation on his groin in the summer. His frustration continued earlier this month when a return to the national squad was cut short by injury concerns.
But he was able to start against Brentford last weekend and now looks set to feature against the club that sought his signature in a high-profile but failed pursuit in the summer.
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Manchester United had two bids rejected for Branthwaite as they attempted to resolve their defensive problems with a player who grew into a talisman at Goodison and, with centre back partner James Tarkowski, led his side to a dozen clean sheets in the Premier League.
The second of those offers, for £45m plus additions, was so far below the Blues’ asking price that, like with the lower first offer, it was quickly rejected.
That was a statement of intent for a club in financial turmoil and a side that has been unable to turn down offers for key players from Alex Iwobi to Anthony Gordon and Richarlison over recent years.
Dyche played a role in those conversations, suggesting he too believed there was more to come from the starlet – and that the offers did not match his value.
Reflecting on those conversations, Dyche said ahead of the trip to Old Trafford: “It’s a really tough situation for clubs and particularly if you’re cash strapped. Now you’re like, when do you push and when do you pull? That’s where my advice comes in. I would like to think we’ve some value and I go, look, time’s not now. He’s still developing. I think you’ll get peak if we keep developing. You’ll get peak money for these players. And I thought my history suggests I’ve done pretty well with that.”
His intervention followed a similar one 12 months earlier when he said he insisted Branthwaite stayed with Everton after his success with PSV Eindhoven in the previous season. Dyche maintains the centre back would not have had to wait for his chance in the first team had he not returned from England Under-21s’ Euros success with a knock. Once he did, the player did not look back.
His return to the first team was delayed this season, Dyche choosing to stick with Tarkowski and the in-form Michael Keane until the trip to West Ham United – a call that raised eyebrows as one of Europe’s brightest defensive prospects had to wait for a recall. Dyche has since suggested he wanted to be cautious following his fitness setbacks and said this week he still believes the player is playing catch up. Once he is fully fit, he expects him to produce even more than he has already shown.
He said: “I think he’s only just getting back to real, true fitness and getting his eye in and I think that will show more, the more that he plays. He’s been very unfortunate during the summer with the injuries and it was a straight-forward situation which became a not straight-forward situation, so he’s been very unfortunate, but he’s a very good player… He’s come in and been effective again. I still think he’ll get fitter and sharper because he’s had a bit of time out and he will get that true match fitness.”
Dyche was reluctant to speculate about what Branthwaite’s ceiling could be, but stressed he still has a lot to learn – and that he is applying himself to that education.
He said: “He’s still not fully fit. But he’s getting there and he will get there. I think for all these players, particularly the younger element, you have to be open-minded about what comes.
“But first things first, get it right here. You can’t go elsewhere unless you get it right here. So I always remind him of that, make sure that you are getting your things right here, on the training pitch, your habits, your professionalism. You are learning all the time and I say ‘keep your mind open’.
And with him in particular, I’ve not over-coached him. There have been little snippets and some key things I know from being a centre half but not loads of it, because he’s naturally evolving and sometimes you can coach it out of them, that natural evolution – it is about knowing when to go in and when to stay away and just let him let him conduct himself in the way he is. Let him grow from what he does and with a few prompts and a few showings of clips and things like that here and there, and goals and aspects of his game. But a lot of it is natural maturation of him as a player, not just him, a number of others here as well.”