Man Utd’s £20m-rated transfer target admits he’s ‘ready for next step’ as Erik ten Hag ponders swoop

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag is reportedly considering a move for Feyenoord left-back Tyrell Malacia.

The 22-year-old defender impressed for the Dutch giants last season as they reached the final of the Europa Conference League before suffering a narrow defeat to Jose Mourinho’s Roma.

Malacia’s consistent performances have led to two unsuccessful bids from French club Lyon according to Dutch outlet Voetbal International - but Feyenoord are willing to allow the full-back to depart if they receive a suitable offer.

Speaking recently to RTY Rijnmond, Malacia spoke about taking the next step in a promising career after receiving a second call-up to Louis van Gaal’s Netherlands squad.

He said: "I am definitely ready for the next step. But first I want to focus on the Orange squad and play here.

"I feel like everything happens for a reason and everything is written. If this is the right time, now is the right time. I'm not really into it, but it's in the back of my mind. But I don't want to talk about it. (Van Gaal) praised me. You have to perform at your club, I'm doing that nicely.

“But I want to show in every international match that I'm supposed to play. He then tries to take my opinion out of me. At first I mainly looked the cat out of the tree, but now I share it too. Other than that, I'm still calm, I mainly let my feet do the talking.”

The Rotterdam-born defender has been watched by United scouts as they were on hand to watch Feyenoord’s 3-2 win against Marseille in the Europa Conference League sem-finals according to the Mirror.

The report also revealed that Red Devils boss ten Hag has been a long-term admirer of Malacia and was keen to sign him during his time in charge of Ajax.

He’s believed to be valued by his club at around £20million.