I 'signed' Jarrad Branthwaite for Manchester United this summer and a trophy was won

Manchester United have been linked with a move for Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite, but what could happen if he actually signed for Erik ten Hag's side?

Injury issues have left United short in defence at times this season, with Jonny Evans having made 24 appearances so far this term, showing a new defender is needed at Old Trafford for the upcoming campaign. Everton's Branthwaite has been linked with a move to United next summer, with Erik ten Hag's side monitoring the defender.

Branthwaite has made 31 appearances for Everton so far this season, with the 21-year-old quickly becoming one of the most promising young defenders in world football. United aren't the only club interested, with Real Madrid also said to be keen on the Englishman.

READ MORE: Kobbie Mainoo is about to fulfil Erik ten Hag's promise for United

READ MORE: The £57million wasted by United that Sir Jim Ratcliffe might be forced to add to

So, if United signed Branthwaite, how could he perform? We simulated the rest of the season to find out.

To set up this simulation, we used Football Manager 2024 to move Branthwaite to United in the summer transfer window before simulating the 2024/25 season. This is how the England International performed.

Branthwaite was trusted by Ten Hag from the off, with the defender making 55 appearances in his first season at Old Trafford, the most out of the entire United squad. In his 55 games, Branthwaite scored one and assisted five, averaging a rating of 7.01 per game.

His 7.01 rating was the fourth-best out of all the United defenders, with Diogo Dalot (7.26), Luke Shaw (7.22), and Raphael Varane (7.08) all averaging higher. After Branthwaite's arrival, Harry Maguire suffered the most, with the former United