A Richarlison brace on his first return to Goodison Park threatened to leave Everton haunted by the past, but instead they ended up toasting the man who holds the keys to future success for the club.

Lanky defender Jarrad Branthwaite has been head and shoulders above most of his Toffees team-mates this season, with the 21-year-old barely putting a foot wrong all campaign, and is being watched by Manchester United, Tottenham and even Real Madrid. Spurs defenders lost sight of him on Saturday, mind you, with Branthwaite heading in a stoppage-time equaliser as Sean Dyche’s men battled for a valuable point.

Cash-strapped Everton have a win-win situation in the summer: they could either sell their most valuable asset to give them breathing space in future financial fair play calculations, or keep him and let Branthwaite be the poster boy of Dyche’s ever-improving side.

Those close to Branthwaite are not surprised by his supreme talent but the strides he has made this season have been extraordinary. Dyche has been pivotal, though the Everton boss has been keen not to ‘over-coach’ the defender and let him enjoy his football.

Jarrad Branthwaite has emerged as one of Everton’s most valuable assets this season

The 21-year-old will play an important role at the Toffees regardless of whether he stays

Branthwaite joined Everton in 2020 after rave reviews from coaches at Carlisle, though he nearly did not make it at the Cumbria club. A knee problem he had in his teens called Osgood-Schlatter disease meant his dream of becoming a professional footballer hung in the balance. Branthwaite’s mother Donna and his father Paul were crucial in convincing their son to keep fighting when he might have given up.

Another man he credits for his success is former Manchester United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy. As boss of PSV Eindhoven last season, he took Branthwaite under his wing as he went from a boy to a man during a season-long loan in the Netherlands. 

Dyche would regularly get in touch with Branthwaite during that season to tell him he would be part of his long-term plans if he continued performing in the Eredivisie. Fellow defender James Tarkowski has also used his experience to coach Branthwaite through games.

So although it might seem from the outside that Branthwaite’s rise to the top has been an overnight success story, the 6ft 5in defender has had to fight his way through several spells of adversity.

Branthwaite earned his stripes at Ruud van Nistelrooy’s PSV in the Eredivisie last season

Everton are in the relegation zone thanks to their 10-point deduction but have a better defensive record than any side outside of the Premier League’s top four and no goalkeeper has more clean sheets than Jordan Pickford’s eight this season. 

While the Toffees have come unstuck in terms of scoring goals at times, keeping them out has seldom been an issue.

Dyche’s solid tactics, plus the form of the likes of Tarkowski and Vitalii Mykolenko, have been crucial to that. But no one more so than Branthwaite.