Michael Ball thinks that Everton star Jarrad Branthwaite benefited from playing regularly at the top level on loan with PSV Eindhoven last season.
The 21-year-old centre-back went out on a season-long loan last season to PSV and he featured a total of 36 times for the Dutch giants.
This season, Branthwaite has racked up six appearances for Everton so far and turned some heads with his performances at the heart of the Toffees defence.
Ball believes that Branthwaite’s loan experiences with Blackburn Rovers and PSV have greatly improved his development.
The former Everton great also believes that playing at the highest level of Dutch football on a regular basis has benefited the centre-back, and he believes Branthwaite will improve the more
“He has also benefited greatly from loan spells, first at Blackburn Rovers, then at PSV Eindhoven,” Ball wrote in his Liverpool Echo column.
“As a former PSV player, I understand how difficult it is to play for the Dutch giants.”
“They expect a lot from their side, but Jarrad has definitely benefited from playing men’s football on a regular basis over the last season and a half, and you can’t help but feel he is only going to get better the more he plays.
Braithwaite has started the last six league games for Everton and will be eager to maintain his starting spot throughout the season.
PSV's Dutch coach Peter Bosz looks on during a training session prior to the second and final play-off Champions League match between PSV Eindhoven and the Scottish Rangers FC in Eindhoven on August 29, 2023. (Photo by Vincent Jannink / ANP / AFP) / Netherlands OUT (Photo by VINCENT JANNINK/ANP/AFP via Getty Images) 