Everton loanee makes transfer admission after eye-catching form

Everton loanee Jarrad Branthwaite has spoken on the developing interest from sides around Europe amid his good form for PSV.

The 20-year-old defender has totalled just shy of 2,000 minutes in all competitions under Ruud Van Nistelrooy this season at centre-back, scoring four times and assisting once in 28 games. Plus, his good form has been rewarded with a first call-up to the England U21 squad as of today.

At club level, his side are currently fourth in the Eredivisie, some six point off leaders Feyenoord but are targeting one of the two European spots above them. The England youth international is set to return to Merseyside at the end of the season, but he has drawn interest from Manchester United, PSV and Liverpool - which could complicate matters for Everton.

Branthwaite spoke to the Daily Mirror and revealed that he knows about the interest and the many options on the table, but he’s continuing to stay focused on the rest of the season.

He said: “I think when all of those clubs are interested and watching your games, it’s gonna be one of them where you take notice. But for me it’s just about playing the games. The first half of the season, I wasn’t playing as many as I wanted, but now I’m just fully focussed on doing that and performing the best I can.”

He also spoke about Everton’s form since the appointment of Dyche and hinted that a fresh start could be made with the former Burnley boss after dealing with several different managers at Goodison Park.

“I hope so because I’ve been there three years now and I’ve had numerous managers, so for a young player it’s hard to settle,” Branthwaite, who’s been in contact with Dyche in the weeks following his appointment, explained. “When a different manager comes in, you’ve got to try and impress, and when you’re a young player it’s not easy to get in the team.

“Obviously they’re gonna pick the experienced players over you and that sort of thing. It’s definitely something I’m hoping for, a bit of stability which will help not just me but also help other young players. And it’ll help the team as well if we’ve got a manager which we know. You can see he’s getting the results at home and he’s had a decent few results away, so hopefully he brings us up the table. I’m looking forward to finishing the season here, playing the games and then seeing what happens and so on.”