Ruud van Nistelrooy phone calls stopped me triggering clause – he's why I'm a £70m player today

Manchester United fans were gutted at the club's failure to sign Jarrad Branthwaite in the summer – and a deal would have seen him team back up with former boss Ruud van Nistelrooy.

The Dutchman, who was appointed Erik ten Hag's assistant in July, spent the 2022/23 season in charge of Eredivisie giants PSV, and one of the first moves he made in the transfer market was bringing a young Branthwaite in on loan. The Everton defender ended up thriving in Van Nistelrooy's team, though it took him a few months to nail down a starting spot.

Speaking to The Times, Branthwaite, 22, heaped praise on Van Nistelrooy, insisting the former striker played a key role in helping him blossom into one of English football's most exciting starlets last season. "He was brilliant for me," the Toffees ace said in December 2023.

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"He would speak to me about my body shape when defending and the importance of being side on, so that I am always ready to run back or be ready to press forward," Branthwaite added. "He said if you don’t have the right body shape, you will get done because the Premier League is much faster. If they play it in behind and you are not side on, the striker will already be gone."

United made Branthwaite their No. 1 transfer target at the start of the summer, and had a couple of bids for the player turned down. They ended up signing Leny Yoro and Matthijs de Ligt instead after being put off by Everton's £70million asking price.

However, it's understood the Red Devils are as keen as ever to bring the Cumbria-born star to Old Trafford