Man Utd Suffer Same Issue As Everton Respond To Jarrad Branthwaite Interest

Manchester United reignited their interest in Jarrad Branthwaite over the summer, but they never got to the stage of placing a bid for the Everton centre-back.

Instead, director of football Jason Wilcox focused on rebuilding the midfield, having spent 2025 on the frontline. Andrey Santos, Youri Tielemans and Carlos Baleba moved to Old Trafford for close to £150 million.

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While supporters asked for another left-back, centre-back was also thought to be a problem position by some pundits, given the injury history of the five senior defenders in Michael Carrick's squad.

Harry Maguire and Lisandro Martínez appear to be the first-choice pairing as it stands, but Matthijs de Ligt could fight for a spot when he returns from his back injury. Ayden Heaven and Leny Yoro will also want to compete for first-team minutes, but their performances against Brighton will not help their cause.

Everton responds to Man Utd's Branthwaite interest

While De Ligt could return and be important for Manchester United, the nature of his injury means there is a big unknown about his ability; he has not played football since November 2025.

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With Maguire and Martínez entering the final years of their contracts, it makes sense for United to target a new central defender, and Jarrad Branthwaite seems to be their choice.

However, Football Insider have reported that Everton have placed a "huge" price tag on Branthwaite's head after his impressive start to the season, which has also earned him an England call-up.

David Moyes' side is hoping to price interested sides out of a deal and keep Branthwaite at Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Last summer, Manchester United showed they would not be foolish with transfer fees – reportedly backing out of deals for Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali due to their price tags. While that could work out in the long run, this same issue could be an everlasting problem if United cannot land their first-choice options.

Dorgu & Lacey Start: Man Utd Predicted XI vs Fulham (Premier League) Manchester United return to Premier League action in a must-win tie against Alvaro Arbeloa's Fulham side.

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Do Man Utd need a new centre-back?

While Heaven and Yoro struggled against Brighton, they have been touted as the future of Manchester United's defence. Both have huge potential and need to play more often to achieve it.

Harry Maguire has already won one new contract at Old Trafford, while Martínez has proved his worth time and time again.

But are they good enough for where Manchester United want to be? In truth, probably not.

United have already conceded seven goals in the Premier League this season – ranking them 12th in the Premier League for goals conceded. They have also made the fewest clearances of any side in the competition.

After an attacking rebuild in 2025 and a midfield reconstruction in 2026, 2027 needs to be the time for the backline.

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