Opinion: Man Utd player should take this summer stance amid Stoke City and Sunderland links | OneFootball

Manchester United midfielder Ethan Galbraith has been informed that he will be leaving Old Trafford on the expiration of his contract this summer, according to the Manchester Evening News.

The Red Devils reportedly have the option to extend his contract by a further 12 months but with the 22-year-old seemingly nowhere near the first team, Erik ten Hag has seemingly taken the decision to sever ties with him.

Who is interested in Man Utd's Ethan Galbraith?

Manchester World believe he isn't short of interest at this point, with Newcastle United, Stoke City, Sunderland and Derby County all believed to be monitoring his situation.

All are good options for different reasons - and it's promising for the young midfielder that he's reportedly attracting a decent amount of interest.

His loan spell at Salford City has probably enabled him to do this, with four goals and three assists to his name in 32 league appearances this season.

That isn't a bad record for a player who will only get better and it comes as no surprise that he's attracting interest from teams higher up the football pyramid.

Not only has he enjoyed a productive time under Neil Wood at Salford, but teams know he's had a good education with the player graduating through United's academy.

What transfer stance should Ethan Galbraith take?

A move to Newcastle seems pointless because he isn't going to win too much first-team football in the short term, something he desperately needs if he wants to give himself the best chance of fulfilling his potential.

He has an incentive to play regularly too, with game time with Northern Ireland up for grabs if he can be successful at a domestic level. This is why a move to Stoke or Sunderland could be better, although game time at those two clubs isn't guaranteed either.

Even if the Black Cats stay in the Championship, they have Pierre Ekwah and Dan Neil at their disposal with others including Jay Matete, Edouard Michut (if he signs permanently) and Corry Evans also available as options in the middle of the park.

The Wearside outfit are reportedly closing in on a move for Jobe Bellingham too, so Galbraith may struggle to start regularly under Tony Mowbray if he arrives at the Stadium of Light.

At Stoke, Ben Pearson and Will Smallbone have left which could open up a spot for Galbraith to come in, but there could be a rebuild at the bet365 Stadium this summer and this is why the current Man United player isn't guaranteed to start every week.

And with this reported interest in him from the second tier, he may be reluctant to ply his trade in League One with Derby, even though Paul Warne's side look set to be competing for promotion next season.

With all of these factors in mind, Galbraith shouldn't rush into making a decision, because more clubs could enter the race for him as time goes on.

Ideally, he needs to be with a club before the start of the 2023/24 campaign and will surely benefit from having a full pre-season of training under his belt, but he probably doesn't need to make a big decision on his future now.