Manchester United are reportedly monitoring teenage Cumbrian star Jarrad Branthwaite.

Everton's former Carlisle United defender, currently on loan with Blackburn, is said to be on the Red Devils' radar.

A report in the Daily Mail said the Old Trafford club are keeping tabs on the England Under-19 player.

Their reported interest comes just over a year after Branthwaite, from Wigton, made his big move to the top-flight after his impressive breakthrough at Brunton Park.

The centre-half went on to impress in five first-team appearances for Everton before being loaned to the Championship last month to gain more first-team experience.

The highly-rated 18-year-old has made seven appearances for Blackburn so far.

His latest came in their 1-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest, where he came up against fellow Cumbrian Glenn Murray, who is 19 years his senior.

The Mail claim Man Utd are likely to target more experienced centre-halves in the summer but are also considering promising players for the future.

The deal which took Branthwaite from Carlisle to Everton has been described as one of the most financially beneficial to the Blues in their history - with his quick rise into Carlo Ancelotti's first team delivering further revenue to the Cumbrians.

That has proved timely to the club during the financial challenges of Covid-19, while United could benefit further depending on Branthwaite's continued progress and potential sell-on clauses.

Blackburn boss Tony Mowbray has been impressed with Branthwaite and is keen to continue helping the young Cumbrian develop.

“His defensive instinct is probably his greatest asset; he smells danger and puts himself in the right positions“, Mowbray told The Athletic.

“He boots it out of play when he has to. He is some player.

“It’s a position I know pretty well, having played there for 18 years, and I think he’s got a huge future in front of him.

“We really like him. I’ve been moaning to my recruitment department. ‘Why did Everton find him at Carlisle? Why didn’t we?’”