However, even then, the allure of a big offer might prove too much for Kevin Thelwell, who is still on a mission to balance the books at Goodison Park and recapture some semblance of stability and sustainability.

The Director of Football has openly admitted that someone might have to be sold, and now the rumour mill has kicked into overdrive, linking plenty of the Toffees’ players with exits.

Jarrad Branthwaite, Amadou Onana, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Dwight McNeil have all been suggested as potential sales, but for now, there has been no movement.

Preemptively, Conor Coady has now sent a message to one of those players though.

Conor Coady begs Everton player to stay

Having spent a year with Everton during the 2022/23 season, in which they narrowly escaped the drop on the final day of the campaign, the former Wolverhampton Wanderers captain knows this club well.

After all, having grown up nearby, his brief stint combined with an upbringing enveloped by Merseyside football will have taught him all he needs to know about the size and stature of the Toffees.

That appreciation is clearly outlined in his latest comments, speaking on the BBC’s Monday Night Club, where he urges Branthwaite to see sense rather than giving in to the bright lights of a bigger club.

Coady claimed: ‘I look at someone now like Jarrad Branthwaite, who has been outstanding at Everton. He is another one now who, looking at it, everyone has seen him linked with Manchester United and all these sorts of things.

‘I do, a little bit inside me, thinks, I don’t think it’s a waste if you do another year, I don’t if I am being completely honest. Everton fans absolutely love you, they adore you, you are going to play every minute of every game, Sean Dyche loves ya.’

Manchester United would not be good for Jarrad Branthwaite

Of all the clubs linked with a move for the 21-year-old, the fact that Manchester United want Jarrad Branthwaite should come as a surprise to nobody.

After all, they have a rich history of snagging stars from Everton, with Wayne Rooney, Marouane Fellaini and Romelu Lukaku just three of the players who traded Merseyside for Manchester.

However, the £35k-a-week defender could heed the warning set by many who have moved to United in recent years, given the unrest still felt at the club.

For a young player who has starred this season, a permanent switch to Old Trafford does not guarantee the sparkling career that it might have done just over a decade ago.

In fact, it is arguably one of the riskiest big moves that a player can make.

The Red Devils are far from a certainty to enjoy long-term success, and with a lengthy list of players who tried and failed to reignite the club, Branthwaite cannot let that burden fall on his shoulders.

Perhaps one more year at Everton might benefit him, and then he can truly make the move to a more stable and successful club worthy of his excellence.

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