Potential Stoke City and Sunderland transfer boost emerges on Man Utd player | OneFootball

Manchester United are set to release Ethan Galbraith on the expiration of his contract at Old Trafford this summer, according to a report from the Manchester Evening News.

The 22-year-old has been on loan at Salford City this season - and has played a big part in their promotion push with 38 appearances to his name in all competitions.

Recording four goals and three assists in the process, he has been an asset both going forward and defensively for the League Two outfit this term and will be desperate to see them win promotion via the play-offs.

Taking a 1-0 lead against Stockport County in the first leg, they will be desperate to defend that and book their place at Wembley, something that won't be an easy task for them.

Galbraith won't just be looking at the short term - but also the long term with the Manchester Evening News claiming that he's already been told he will be released when the summer comes along, even though they have the option to trigger a 12-month extension on his current deal.

Who's interested in Ethan Galbraith?

According to Manchester World, there are plenty of sides who are interested in the young midfielder.

Newcastle United are the most notable team on this list of admirers - but Championship duo Stoke City and Sunderland are also believed to be interested in the player.

It remains to be seen whether the Black Cats retain their interest in him if they go up - but regardless of whether they do or not - fellow interested side Derby County may lose out in this race considering the other clubs that are monitoring him.

The Rams are guaranteed to be in League One next season - and Galbraith may be keen to operate at a higher level.

Weighing up his potential options

Making the move to Newcastle seems pointless unless he's guaranteed game time.

But it's hard to see that guarantee being made considering the quality of their other midfielders and the fact they could even strengthen that area again when the summer comes along.

He may also struggle for game time at Sunderland because the likes of Pierre Ekwah and Dan Neil have shone recently and will keep their places in the starting lineup if they can continue to maximise their performance levels.

At Stoke, it's uncertain how much game time he would get because Alex Neil looks set to rebuild the squad this summer and other signings could potentially force their way ahead of Galbraith in the pecking order.

That could allow Derby to try and seal a deal for him - and the opportunity to compete for promotion to the second tier could be a tempting one for the United man.

That's why Paul Warne's men can't be ruled out of this race just yet, although they may need to offer him a decent wage.