‘Big surprise’ – Allardyce claims Manchester United missed a trick in the transfer window

Sam Allardyce was joined by current Everton goalkeeper, Asmir Begovic, on the latest No Tippy Tappy Football podcast. The pair discussed the rise of Jarrad Branthwaite and why they believed he stayed at Everton during the summer.

The centre-back was heavily linked with a move to Manchester United, but Everton priced him out of a move.

Allardyce claims that United missed a trick by not signing Branthwaite in the summer, especially given his previous relationship with Ruud van Nistelrooy, who had the defender on loan at PSV Eindhoven.

The former England manager said: “It was a big surprise that nobody spent the money on him in the summer, a left-footed centre-half, particularly at Man United. You’d have thought that whoever wanted a centre-half who’s proven himself to be able to play in the Premier League, and his capabilities are getting even better. 

“It was a big big miss for a lot of those big clubs. With Everton’s financial problems, somebody thought they could nick him at a bargain buy.”

Begovic is a teammate of the 22-year-old and spoke about being impressed by how Branthwaite has progressed in the past three years. He believes he is good enough to kick on to captain the Three Lions one day.

Jarrad Branthwaite can reach the top

The goalkeeper added: “He can be as good as he wants to be, he can go to the absolute top. I remember meeting Jarrad three years ago. The first year he was developing physically, finding his body, and everything that was going on, he needed to go somewhere where he could kick on and get that experience and get that opportunity.

“The second year I was at Everton, he went to PSV to play for Ruud van Nistelrooy, Marcel Brands who used to be director of football at Everton was at PSV, so he knew Jarrad really well and gave him the opportunity.

“I’ve now seen him again this summer and he’s developed in every way. You look at him in training and he’s a top player, he’ll go to the top. You could see him being an England captain at some point. I’m glad we kept him because he’s the heck of a player, he’s unbelievable.”

United signed two centre-backs in the summer in Matthijs de Ligt and Leny Yoro, and it’s worth noting that both deals cost less than Everton’s demands for Branthwaite.

It remains to be seen if United make any future moves for Branthwaite.