Jarrad Branthwaite comes from the "end of the bloody world" - but right now he feels on top of it.
You may've seen the viral video of him being interviewed on Dutch television after scoring two goals in arguably the highlight of his loan spell with PSV Eindhoven, as a reporter inadvertently pokes fun at his home city club, Carlisle United, for being so far north in England.
Now, three years after joining Premier League stalwarts Everton aged 17, the highly-rated defender is being linked with a big-money move to host of European giants. Manchester United, Liverpool and Jose Mourinho's Roma have all been tipped to buy Branthwaite this summer following a run of 15 starts for PSV since the World Cup break; thriving as a ball-playing centre-back under the legendary Ruud van Nistelrooy, who'd also like to sign him.
With his stock rising, the towering left-footer received his first England under-21 call-up this week in another affirmation that his decision to jet off to the Netherlands was the right one after a difficult start to life in Eindhoven. "It's good, I'm enjoying it now," a beaming Braithwaite tells Mirror Football, with no sign of a Dutch accent creeping into his native Cumbrian tongue.
"Obviously at first it was difficult to adapt to a new culture, a new language. Trying to fit in with a new team, obviously it's difficult when you go to any team - even in England on loan, at least you speak the same language as them - so that was the main bit, to try and work my way in. But I'm enjoying my time here and it's going well."
After spending last season straddling between Everton's first-team and under-23s, the Toffees starlet knew that regular game time at senior level was a must this term. The man who brought Branthwaite to Merseyside, Marcel Brands, went after him again in his new role as PSV's sporting director and linking up with Van Nistelrooy's squad has proved a perfect fit.
"When I was at Everton I spoke with the people there and they thought it was the best move for me to show my qualities and to develop as a player," Branthwaite explains. "It was just going into something completely new, there weren't really many people to ask for guidance on the whole thing of moving abroad.
"There've been a couple of English players who've done it and it's worked out with them. So, at the time it was about looking into PSV's pathway and looking at the best opportunity to improve as a player."
It's certainly worked out that way for the 6ft 5in defender, who eventually nailed down a place in Van Nistelrooy's starting XI at the turn of the year, having already been a part of the side who beat Arsenal in the Europa League last October. Quickly forging a centre-back partnership with Brazilian captain Andre Ramalho, the maturing Branthwaite has soared as PSV’s season has gone on, helping the Dutch giants reach the KNVB Cup semi-finals and scoring four goals to boot.
Despite only being 20, he's already worked under a star-studded collection of managers since he left Carlisle. After Carlo Ancelotti, Rafa Benitez, Tony Mowbray - his boss during half-season loan stint at Blackburn Rovers in 2021 - and Frank Lampard, it's now Van Nistelrooy's turn to hone Branthwaite's talents.
So what's it like playing under the former Man United Real Madrid striker? "It's been good and really enjoyable," the Cumbrian prodigy says, preparing for Sunday's trip to Vitesse Arnhem as PSV remain contenders in an epic four-horse Eredivisie title race. "Learning things from him because he was a striker, obviously from playing against defenders, he's been telling me things.
"We're still fighting for the league this season as well, we're in the cup, so it's been a good season so far. We've had a couple of bumps in the road but we've just got to keep being positive, the manager has given us everything we need to go and produce results on the pitch and I think as long as we continue doing that, we'll give ourselves the best opportunity of winning the league and the cup this year."
Does Van Nistelrooy have anything in common with the likes of Ancelotti? "I think every manager is different," Branthwaite replies, giving a sense of composure beyond his years in this interview just like he's been doing on the pitch.
"I've worked under lots of really top managers and the manager now is a top manager, even being so young. Obviously with the knowledge of the game he has from playing and he's got a really good coaching staff around him which will help him along the way, so it's brilliant to work under him."
Before the January transfer window saw PSV raided by two Premier League giants, Branthwaite rubbed shoulders with Cody Gakpo and Noni Madueke, the latter of whom is English. Of course, World Cup star Gakpo moved to Liverpool, the same city which a teenage Branthwaite arrived in three years ago, so it was only right to help him out - even if he's joined his arch rivals back home.
"I spoke to Cody a few times when he first signed [for Liverpool]," the 20-year-old reveals, having watched his now former team-mate begin to blossom under Jurgen Klopp. "When I signed for Everton I was in the Titanic Hotel and I think he was staying there as well, so he was asking for a few places to go eat and things.
"He's settled into a massive club but it's no surprise for me. When he was here, the quality he had was unbelievable; his goals and assists, his passing, his dribbling - he had everything. Obviously it's gonna take a couple of months to find your feet but over the last month he's settled right in and played really well."
As for Chelsea's £29million arrival, Madueke, he joined PSV as a 16-year-old after leaving Tottenham 's academy and turning down an offer from Man United. His trajectory has been upwards ever since, giving Branthwaite confidence that if he were to stay with the Dutch giants on a permanent basis, he can follow in the Chelsea newcomer's footsteps.
"He obviously came when he was a young boy and he's matured into the player he is by getting the experience over here," Branthwaite goes on to say. "Moving away from home, learning new life skills, I think that all comes into account to make the experienced players the best.
"They move away from their families when they're young to have the best opportunity to pursue their careers. He came over here, trained hard and got his chance, he's played the games and signed for Chelsea in the Premier League.
"It's obviously a pathway which you can follow. When I first signed here, I knew Noni was here as well, so you could see that was a problem, an English player coming over here and developing."
It's not just about development as a player either, as Branthwaite knows all too well value of a challenging move away from home in their formative years. "I think you gain life skills," he affirms. "Anyone moving away at a young age, it's difficult at first but once you look back when you're 30 years old, you think, 'I'm glad I did that'.
"It's a good thing I've done it at a young age. Obviously I moved to Liverpool and into the city when I was 17, just after signed from Carlisle and I was living on my own there. It's just getting to learn how to cook and things because when I was at Carlisle, my mum and dad were doing everything.
"So it's just doing the little things which help you in the long run. It's finding time to do things on your own, filling time in. It's definitely helped me as a person, I've become more confident in doing different things and it's made me a better person for doing it."
Fortunately for Branthwaite, PSV's hectic schedule both domestically and on the continental front - although they're now eliminated from the Europa League - means that he hasn't had much time to fill. However, it has made trips back home a rarity.
"We'd been having a game every three days, so there was no chance to get home with the Europa League and the league fixtures," Branthwaite adds, having made a quick visit back to his proper hometown of Wigton, near Carlisle, last week.
"Once you're playing games, you're thinking about going home. That's the good thing about the games coming thick and fast, you're don't have fill your time in with different things, you’re just focussed on the next game."
One major downside is that he's been missing out on the buzz of Carlisle's promotion push, although Branthwaite still keeps in touch with old academy team-mates and coaches. The Blues youth product feels that either a play-off triumph or "hopefully automatic promotion" would be "great for the city" and give fans something to shout about after years of strife. Aside from their League One ambitions, supporters are eagerly awaiting a decision on his future which is likely to benefit them financially.
Nevertheless, Branthwaite would be happy just to return to Everton, with new gaffer Sean Dyche checking in on his progress and bringing a sense of newfound stability at Goodison Park. "I've been there three years now and I've had numerous managers, so for a young player it's hard to settle," he admits.
"When a different manager comes in, you've got to try and impress, and when you're a young player it's not easy to get in the team. Obviously they're gonna pick the experienced players over you and that sort of thing.
It's definitely something I'm hoping for, a bit of stability which will help not just me but also help other young players. And it'll help the team as well if we've got a manager which we know.
"You can see he's getting the results at home and he's had a decent few results away, so hopefully he brings us up the table. I'm looking forward to finishing the season here, playing the games and then seeing what happens and so on."
Have your say! Should Branthwaite return to Everton or seek a move elsewhere? Join the debate in the comments section.
While scouts from United and Liverpool have been attending PSV's games to see Branthwaite up close and personal, he isn't letting the transfer speculation turn into a distraction. "I think when all of those clubs are interested and watching your games, it's gonna be one of them where you take notice," Branthwaite admits.
"But for me it's just about playing the games. The first half of the season, as I said, I wasn't playing as many games as a I want, but now I'm just fully focussed on doing that and performing to the best I can."
So far, he's sticking to his word.
