Man Utd and Chelsea leading transfer chase for Blackburn sensation Ashley Phillips after scouting 16-year-old all season
MANCHESTER UNITED and Chelsea both want Blackburn teen sensation Ashley Phillips.
The Prem giants now have a constant presence at Rovers’ Under-21 games to watch the classy 16-year-old centre-half.
The England youth cap is under contract so it will cost a fortune to get him.
Phillips is rated the best discovery at Rovers for years and a genuine top-level prospect at club and country level.
United raided Blackburn for 27-cap England star Phil Jones at the start of the Venky’s reign at Ewood Park a decade ago.
Chelsea are on the hunt for the best youngsters around for their well-oiled assembly line.
Everton and Tottenham have also been watching Phillips, but United and Chelsea head the queue.
Boss Tony Mowbray certainly feels Phillips is going places.
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Mowbray told Lancs Live: “He’s 6ft 4′, he’s fast, mobile and can pass it really well. He can use both feet, he’s composed.
“Ash is just a phenomenal young boy; if you were to create a defender in the mould of how you would want one, this kid has got every attribute.
“But he is still just a young boy. He needs time, which is why he’s training with the first-team so that he gets confident and used to the level of intensity.
“He’s an exciting prospect, is all I’d say. But it’s in a position where there is a lot of responsibility.
“It’s not as easy to put a really talented young defender in as opposed to a talented young striker where it doesn’t matter if he loses the ball every now and then.
“As a defender, you’re judged on keeping the ball out of the net and winning your individual duels.
“He is just a boy but he’s got some amazing attributes. We’ve got high hopes that he can progress quickly.”
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