Manchester United are leading Everton and two other Premier League clubs in the race to sign Blackburn Rovers centre-back Ashley Phillips, according to Football Insider.

The Lowdown: Phillips profiled

Phillips is just 16 years of age and has been labelled as ‘phenomenal’ and ‘the future’ by Rovers boss Tony Mowbray.

Already standing at 6 foot 4, Phillips is an England Under-17 international and is under contract at Ewood Park until 2023.

He was recently included on the bench for Blackburn in an FA Cup defeat to Wigan Athletic, and it seems as if United officials are keeping a close eye on the teenager.

The Latest: Source shares update

As reported by Football Insider on Thursday evening, United are in pole position to sign Phillips ahead of Chelsea, Everton and Tottenham.

A recruitment source informed the site that United are desperate to win the race for Phillips as they see the defender as a star of the future.

It is no surprise to see the Toffees in the race too, with Frank Lampard no doubt keen to keep up his reputation of developing young English players.

The Verdict: Smart move

Although United failed to make a senior signing during the January transfer window, it is good to see that they are looking to bolster their academy ranks ahead of the summer.

The club were poised to sign young centre-back Josh Feeney back in the summer but were pipped by Aston Villa to his services.

United officials may well be fearing a repeat of that move when it comes to Phillips, especially with three other clubs keen and Everton no doubt desperate to add depth at centre-back given their injury crisis in that position.

Hopefully, the Red Devils can land the Blackburn man and develop him in the club’s academy over the coming years.

In other news: Man Utd may now launch move for ‘fantastic’ Pochettino favourite who’s just left Spurs.