Manchester United Football Club are considering buying back Ryan Shawcross.

Sir Alex Ferguson rates the young defender very highly, but he felt he had to sell him to Stoke City last January as he couldn’t offer the player regular first team football.

Shawcross has gone on to be a bargain £1million signing for the Britannia Stadium club, with his performances making him an outside tip for England’s World Cup squad.

With the injury concerns over both Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic showing no signs of abating, reports suggest Ferguson is looking to take the 21-year-old back.

And it is believed United insisted on having a buy-back clause inserted in his contract when he was sold, allowing them first option should they choose to give him another crack.

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