Ruud van Nistelrooy names 'fantastic' Everton star who has a big future ahead after Leicester City victory

Ruud van Nistelrooy has tipped Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite to have a big future after reuniting.

Van Nistelrooy’s Leicester City have dropped into the Premier League relegation zone as they were put to the sword by the Toffees at Goodison Park. Everton earned a 4-0 win, with Abdoulaye Doucoure scoring after just 10.18 seconds, Beto firing a first-half double and Iliman Ndiaye netting in the dying embers.

Branthwaite’s progress

Branthwaite helped Everton record a second straight clean sheet. The centre-back is the Blues’ prized asset, with Manchester United having two bids rejected in the summer transfer window having been valued at around £75 million by the Goodison Park hierarchy.

Branthwaite spent the 2022-23 season on loan at PSV Eindhoven when Van Nistelrooy was head coach. He made 36 appearances and scored four goals as PSV finished second in the Eredivisie and won the KNVB Cup. After Branthwaite returned to Everton, he became a first-team regular and a full England international.

And Van Nistelrooy hailed the progress that the 22-year-old has made in his career. The Leicester boss said: “It was a joy to work with him. He came in as a young lad on loan. He learned a lot at PSV, we won trophies together. The way he improved was fantastic through hard work, training every day and he got himself to a get level and into the national team. A great future ahead.”

‘A mountain to climb’

Leicester were second-best in every department against Everton. Given they were behind within 11 seconds, with Doucoure netting a fine finish before Beto bagging in the seventh minute. Van Nistelrooy rued the start that the Foxes made but felt the game could well have been different had Beto not increased the advantage in first-half stoppage-time.

The former Manchester United and Real Madrid striker added: “First reaction is after 10 seconds and five minutes, you’re 2-0 down at Goodison against a team that keeps one of the most clean sheets. That sums it up. You give yourself a mountain to climb and we didn’t really come back from that.

“If you have a start like that then it’s difficult. You have to open up early and Everton did well being as effective as they were attacking our backline. If you go into half-time 2-0 then it’s a different game but we conceded a goal in the 47th minute and that summed our first half up but credit to Everton.

“It’s clear that those are not our best moments as a team. It’s not the back-line only, it’s not the midfielders only, it’s not the nine and 10 only. It’s a collective error where there is not enough pressure on the ball, where the middle is open, where the back-line is not in line. That’s what cost us today. We are better than that. Today wasn’t good enough, that was clear.

“After five minutes when you are 2-0 down, you give yourselves a mountain to climb. The second half was a quiet half. The players tried but today in the performance I think it is about the level that wasn’t to our standards and we have to bounce back.”