Sports Evolve
Ruud van Nistelrooy is encouraging other teams in the Eredivisie to quickly sign Jarrad Branthwaite, who is currently on loan from Everton in the Premier League.
In an interview with Voetbal International, van Nistelrooy expressed his concern about the growing interest in the England U20 player, with Manchester United, AS Roma, and Liverpool all being linked to him in the past month.
PSV had attempted to sign Branthwaite permanently in January with a £15 million offer, but it was rejected by Everton.
The Toffees are reportedly holding out for more, making it uncertain whether PSV can afford to raise their offer significantly, given their financial concerns.
Despite this setback, van Nistelrooy hopes that Branthwaite will stay at PSV for another season, where he can get regular first-team football and continue to develop as a player.
“I told the previous technical director to sign Jarrad very quickly. And I say it now to the current one!” the Manchester United legend quips.
“Jarrad has really fought his way into the team. He got his chance and took it. I am satisfied. I see Jarrad as a key player, and that’s how we see him internally.
“We have a lot of young talent, including (Johan) Bakayoko, (Xavi) Simons, Branthwaite and (Ismael) Saibari. Those are guys for the future. It’s true that we may have competition in our attempts to keep Jarrad longer. Well, let him develop first.
“What is extremely important is that he is having a great time at PSV. That is a basic condition if we want to have a chance at all.”
“For now, it is only a loan. There is no purchase option in my contract,” Branthwaite himself points out.
“It is a nice compliment that PSV wants to keep me. I am really enjoying myself here, so I would definitely consider a longer stay at PSV. We’ll see if it works out. My contract in Everton runs until 2025. That’s still a long time and they will undoubtedly have a plan with me.”
Branthwaite has expressed his desire to emulate Noni Madueke’s career trajectory. Madueke, who previously played for Tottenham Hotspur, moved to PSV to secure a more prominent role in the first team.
He spent five years in the Netherlands before Chelsea offered £29 million for his services in the January transfer window, bringing him back to the Premier League.
