Manchester United scouts watch England international ahead of summer bid

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer sent scouts to watch Declan Rice in West Ham's 1-0 defeat to Sheffield United on Friday, claims The Daily Mail.

Rice has been heavily linked with a move to United throughout his career and the England international remains a long-term transfer target for Solskjaer.

Despite needing to bolster their midfield ranks now, United will not move for Rice until the summer at the very earliest.

West Ham are in no rush to sell Rice, as the 20-year-old is effectively tied down until the summer of 2025.

Rice is expected to feature prominently for England at Euro 2020 and United may well try and get a deal done before the tournament or risk his valuation soar.

The West Ham fan favourite has started every league game for David Moyes' side this season and has one assist in that time.

Of players that were aged 21 and under at the start of the season, only Eduardo Camavinga (81) and Aaron Wan-Bissaka (77) have made more tackles than Rice (67) across Europe's top five leagues.