Man United great insists Brighton's Evan Ferguson should move to Man City and not Old Trafford

Ferguson, 18, netted 12 goals in all-competitions in his breakthrough season last term and already has four to his name this campaign.

Tottenham had previously registered their interest in the young Seagull as they saw him as the ideal replacement for Harry Kane, who moved to Bayern Munich last month.

Man United had also been linked but this week – following his sublime hat-trick during Brighton’s 3-1 win against Newcastle – Premier League champions Man City emerged as the frontrunners. Pep Guardiola's club feel the Ireland international can work well alongside their prolific Norwegian Erling Haaland.

Ferguson has though been struggling with a knee issue this week and was forced to miss Ireland's fixtures during this international break. He will hope to return in time for the United clash, where he could increase his profile further.

Former Man United striker Louis Saha however feels United should avoid a bidding war with City on Ferguson and only sign players who are desperate to wear the jersey.

“Evan Ferguson is a very good player and all the top teams need a number of high-quality forwards at their club if they’re going to challenge for the biggest honours,” said Saha to betfred.com.

“Regarding Manchester United ‘hijacking’ a move for Ferguson if Manchester City go for him in the summer, then I wouldn’t agree with this approach as they should only move for players that have a real desire to move to Old Trafford.

"The strategy for Manchester United should be to focus on players that they believe will fit into their system and not players that are being courted by their competitors.

"They need players that are really committed to their mission and hopefully this approach can be really successful for Manchester United.”