Sir Jim Ratcliffe agrees with Erik ten Hag on Man United summer transfer target

Sir Jim Ratcliffe agrees with Erik ten Hag on one Manchester United summer transfer target ahead of an important window for the club.

The Reds have had a difficult season so far under the Dutch manager, who has been dealing with injuries across the board.

Now, the team is looking stronger with the likes of Lisandro Martínez and Casemiro returning to the fold. Ten Hag will be under pressure for results and performances to improve going into the back end of the campaign.

The defensive unit constantly changing has been one of the major issues, and there are still concerns in relation to quality and consistency at the back.

Jonny Evans is not a long-term option, whilst both Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelöf have questions of quality against them.

Martínez and Raphaël Varane have proven to be a solid pairing but have experienced injury troubles, which could cause concern going forward.

This means that centre-back is a position that INEOS and Sir Jim Ratcliffe are looking to strengthen in the summer transfer market, and it appears that Ten Hag has eyes on the same target as the British billionaire.

According to the Mirror, Ten Hag wants to sign Dutch striker Brian Brobbey and Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite.

Branthwaite, 21, has emerged as a popular Premier League defender under Sean Dyche this term and has been a mainstay in the backline for The Toffees.

He has been highlighted as an option that INEOS are targeting, as they are reportedly looking to add the best young English talent to the squad at Old Trafford.

Everton boss Sean Dyche addressed the interest in the English defender last month, saying:

“Look, we’ve all seen this before. A young player comes into the Premier League, does great and then all these stories start. It is a standard process, so I am not worried about that.

“He does continue to improve but I will remind you there is no gold dust from me or my staff. We do not want to get in the way of the improvement.

“He is coming along at a really nice rate. You can coach things into players they do not need. For me, it is just to keep on enjoying it.”