Why Man United Wants To Make Branthwaite First Signing Under INEOS

Manchester United are set to make Everton centre-back Branthwaite their first signing under the club’s new owners, the INEOS.

These are the reasons Erik Ten Hag sees him as a perfect partner to Lisandro Martinez in the heart of the defense.

Firstly he excels out of possession but showcased during his PSV loan that he can play in a possession-based system and build out from the back.
Standing at 6ft5, he is a monster duel winner and box defender who excels in both aerial and ground duels.

He is more versatile and technical than he gets credit for, being able to play LCB, LB, RCB, and CCB.

This allows Ten Hag more tactical flexibility—he could start as LCB with Martinez being pushed out to left back (Arteta wanted Martinez to play LB as he has the attributes to do that), mirroring a Gvardiol-like role.

Despite his 6ft5 frame, he is more mobile than some believe, capable of defending wide channels, stepping up, and chasing down attackers. He was very effective at stopping wide attacks last season for Everton.

With Varane leaving, a box defender was a priority. Branthwaite often gets compared to Maguire but has a profile more similar to Varane, imo.

He is confident stepping out to make a tackle, has very good reading of the game, and shows the patience not to be overly aggressive.

Branthwaite has shown resilience in a relegation fight for Everton while also proving he can play in the Premier League and has the mentality needed for Man Utd.
He previously had loan moves with Blackburn and PSV, where he learned a lot and played two different styles of football. He also captained England at the U21 level and is very highly rated.

Ten Hag will want Man Utd to play out from the back, and Branthwaite showed he was capable of this at PSV with 58 passes per 90 minutes and an 86% completion rate. He is also comfortable in possession, able to pass short and long at all angles, disguising his passes well and using his two-footedness to his advantage.

Lastly, Branthwaite is very defensively sound, ranking in the top 20% for tackles, interceptions, shots blocked, and clearances, and the top 10% for dribblers tackled and percentage of aerials won.